Forever More
by Kay dOuble-O Zii
Summary: Lucario's troubles start when he and his childhood friend, Aurora, decide to take a blue stranger back to his home; the problem is, he lives in a different world. With new obstacles threatening his personal problems and duties, will Lucario ever make it?
1. Chapter 1

**And so I could not help but write a story about my favorite Brawl character - Lucario. So far, my first story is taking a while to get to Lucario, so this is a background story about the lucario that will eventually end up in my story. It takes place entirely out of Lucario's point of view.**

**Well, the beginning sucks, but maybe you'll like it - who knows?  
**

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Where to begin? Truthfully, I do not know. My life has been quite complicated as far as I'm concerned, tangled and twisted with my confusion of what friendship – of what love – really meant. As a child, in the pre-evolved form of a riolu, my life had already found its knots that left me hanging by my ankles. Generally, lucarios are not allowed to have two children – it is against an ancient code – and unfortunately I was the second child born unto Rykario and Anka. Not to mean that my older brother was there, no; my brother had died as a riolu at the age of seven, when he was swimming in the lagoon where the sharpeedos laid their carcasses. No; when I was born, I was already a shame to my family, but I was an only child. My father and mother, nonetheless, had cared for me. Not only life skills necessary for survival, but also skills worthy of the legendary fighters my people are. Seven years straight, I have been training to become the greatest aura master the whole of Sinnoh region has ever seen – to show to my parents that I am not the shame they knew. Once I evolved later that year, taking shape of who I am today, a departed from my parents – another lucario tradition. Smelling the last breaths of the sea at the awakening of a new day, I made one last glance back at the home where I had grown up in – never to return unless if I find a partner. I felt myself smirking – female lucarios were rare to find, and masters live their lives alone, so who needs a mate? I turn my back on the sea.

Oh, where would I begin? I spent the next year alone, wearing down the pads on my feet traveling throughout the forests and hills of the great Sinnoh region. I had been so confused – by my seashore homeland, everything was so clear and open; I could see the dunes and the shoreline stretch on for miles, my home had been so easy to defend. But here in the dense forest, you had to watch your back constantly. I had close calls countless of times, but I said to myself, this was training to test my aura vision.

I could guess the untangling of my web of life began when I was eight. It was afternoon, and the sunlight was being blocked out by the thick canopy overhead. However, several streams of light made its way down to the forest floor, where it laid its fingers in dappled patches of warmth. Peering through the semi-darkness, I sensed that something was stirring ominously – I turned around, my aura flaring at the ends of my palms, but only to find a stunned pacharisu, quivering. I relaxed, and turned away. I kept walking forward, stepping lightly over ferns that lined the dark forest, and found a sun-filled world. I stepped out from the forest, blinking in the bright light. Adjusting my eyes, I looked around – I have never seen so much grass before. Back at home, there was only bladed, beach grasses that came in seldom clumps. Here, the gentle tendrils rippled in the spring zephyrs, shining in the sun. It took my breath away – I have never seen anything so calming and beautiful – here was a prairie, dotted with early blooms, with snow-capped, rugged hills in the background. So this could be the benefits of a wanderer, but deep in my heart, I wished to share it with a friend. I closed my eyes and thought. There were the sounds of chatots lightly singing behind me, and the wind playing through the leaves. I breathed it all in, and sighed, listening to the chatots serenade.

_Thud._

My ears twitched at the sound of the noise.

_Thud thud._

It was a soft patting of dirt, the sound that I am quite familiar to as someone ready to pounce on my back. I quickly turned around, flinging a hastily rendered aura sphere.

I could say that this is where my life flipped me onto my feet.

Satisfied, I saw nothing, just a patch deep in the forest flare with blue aura. Maybe it has gone away. I watched for some time, and seeing nothing more, I turned my back. A big mistake – blinding blue light shot past me, lightly scraping against my ear.

"What was that for?!"

I felt as if I was paralyzed, just by the sound of another voice, talking to me. I didn't know what to think. Slowly, I rotated my body to lay my scarlet eyes on a shorter pokemon. Magenta eyes met mine, the light in it flaring and rippling with anger and confusion. I blinked and looked from the head to the toe of this pokemon. I pokemon that shared my ears, shared my pointed nose, my limbs, my paws, my tail – I blinked again and stared at the other lucario.

"Who are you?" By the sound of the voice, this was a female lucario. I, however, said nothing, but continued to look into her eyes – I have never seen that color of eyes on a lucario before. The magenta flames narrowed, and the lucario twitched her nose in a sniff. She stepped forward slightly and her peculiar eyes searched me.

"You are like me." she observed, slowly concluding. She stepped backwards, keeping a straight contact with my eyes. I couldn't help but scoff at the obvious statement,

"Of course I am like you – we are both lucarios." I snorted.

"A what?" she asked lightly, suddenly becoming curious.

"Lucarios, we are lucarios, smart one." I felt very annoyed – was she trying to be funny, and test my intelligence?

"So there are more of us?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Oh," she looked away, sheepishly, "you're the first one I've met." Now this statement caught my attention.

"What?" I felt myself ask, my mouth dropping, "What about your parents?" The lucario just looked away, her eyes flickering low and dim. I stared for a long time – this lucario was indeed a very odd case. I decided I would move on with my journey. I turned to leave.

"Wait." the lucario was suddenly in front of me – I stepped back in surprise.

"What is it?" I grumbled, not wanting to answer any more stupid questions – this lucario is nothing more than a child in my standards.

"Can I -" she hesitated before speaking again, "can I come with you?" I sighed, and prepared myself to say no. But the way her magenta teardrop eyes curved sadly downwards, and the way the ever swirling fuchsia shades pleaded desperately, I couldn't force myself to say no.

"Please?" she asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper, a soft whining touch to her voice. I felt something radiate from her – there was the tinge of sadness, of loneliness in her aura. I sighed – the overwhelming waves of loss pulsed through me, and I couldn't bear to stand it anymore.

"Fine," I said, making my final decision, "you may stay with me." I saw those eyes start to brim with tears, and she bowed her head graciously.

"Thank you." she whispered, "Thank you."

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**Rate and Review! If not to many readers like it, I will take this story out and maybe put it out later.**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Eight years later....**_

A soft wind whispered throughout the mountainside, the breath of a newborn day, with its golden fingers slowly pulling itself over the peaks. The sun approached cautiously, bringing forth its brilliant light.

Morning also brought Aurora's wake up routine.

The female lucario I had found years ago told me that was her name. I had once thought of her as a dumb pokemon, but now I felt terrible about assuming that. Aurora never known her parents – I supposed they died when she was born. She never had a friend to turn to, because other pokemon were scared – her sharp eyes belonged to the eyes of a warrior, not the gentle, lonely child I came across. Aurora was in fact like a child, something right that I had concluded on first impression – she confided that she had never remembered ever being a riolu. She had grown up as a lucario. Being undereducated, her annoying questions had always pestered me. At least now she knows more, but that's after years of teaching basic principals.

But somehow, I found pleasure in passing along my knowledge to this young companion – her mind was eager to learn about the world, and to learn about her own people. And in doing so, I learned that she wasn't the typical lucario – not at all. Aside her stunning, magenta eyes, she possessed abnormally large reserves of aura. The problem was that Aurora could not control the flow of her aura very well – she may spend a majority of it in a single aura sphere. Her emotional waves are incredibly strong, like a riolu's, but I guess it would be the fault of lack of parental guide. Many times over, I had pulses of curiosity running through me, distracting my ability to train myself. However, those times were over – I could say that I am very proud of my accomplishments as a teacher. Aurora is pretty well balanced now.

I had my eyes closed, letting my aura flow evenly as I slowly lifted my arms into the air. Every morning since I was born, I performed thai chi exercises, in order to practice control, harmony, and balance. I was with the wind, the mountain drafts that blew up from down in the valley. Slowly, I shifted my weight to my other leg, and lifted my tail higher to prevent myself from tipping. Aurora does these exercises with me, too. It is something that she also needs to enhance her control of aura and balance.

My ears twitched – I heard the soft paddings of Aurora's feet behind me.

"Lucario?" I smiled; she always had to tell me something in the morning.

"Aurora, can you not see that I am a little busy?" I replied, shifting positions again. I heard Aurora step closer.

"Lucario?" she asked, despite what I said.

"Aurora," I sighed, "you are distracting me."

"I thought you said that you need to practice your focus more." she retorted.

"Aurora," I found myself regain my normal stance, and opened my eyes, "You are being a hypocrite – you need more time to practice your concentration than I do."

"It's going to be my birthday soon." she smiled, ignoring what I said earlier. I sighed, and shook my head.

"You said that yesterday."

"And the day before that, remember?" Aurora laughed, "You need to exercise your memory, Lucario." I huffed, irritated and yet amused. Aurora looked at me curiously through her flickering eyes.

"Lucario?"

"Aurora," I groaned, "please start, or we will be here all day." The female lucario serenely dipped her blue and black velveted head and blanketed the fuchsia teardrops with her lids. Slowly and gracefully, she performed each exercise, but I knew her weaknesses – all I had to do was wait until she starts balancing on one paw. For the meantime, I bent my body back so my own paws touched the ground, and carefully lifted my weight onto them. I shifted so that only one arm supported me, and I held the other arm steadily outwards. Through aura vision, I surveyed Aurora's progress – she was now bending backwards to perform the same, one-arm stand. Surprisingly, she had completed the task successfully this morning, but I still had other tests to put her through.

"Aurora?" I called her name out softly, but the figure remained silent. I smiled to myself – she has learned to ignore me.

"Aurora?" I asked again. Aurora remained her silent vigil. It was time to move onto the next test. I flipped back onto my legs, and slowly walked over to my pupil. I bent down and waved a paw in front of her face, but she remained still. Standing up again, I circle around to her back, and pretended to push her. Aurora's eyes flung open and she toppled over with a quick yelp.

"Lucario!" she cried, picking herself off the ground, "don't scare me like that! We're standing next to a thousand-foot drop!" I looked at the edge of the cliff and sighed,

"You would not have fallen off either way – the edge is a lengthy five yards away." Aurora blinked and looked over to the edge of the cliff, her tail flicking in distress. She glanced back at me over her shoulder.

"What if the cliff edge crumbled?" she said. Oh no, here comes another volley of the "What if" game. Despite being fourteen, she still acted as if she was a riolu. I moaned softly and closed my eyes. I tried to ignore her, and raised both of my arms.

"So? What if the cliff edge crumbled and I fell?"

"Aurora..." I sighed, "Focus."

"What if that happened?" I could see through aura vision that she was peering at my face, her ears tilted slightly. Even with my eyes closed, her intense eyes remained the same – not the vivid color, but the same luminosity. It was almost as if she could see right through me with her intelligent and piercing stare. I shuddered – those eyes always left me with a cold shiver, tinged with fear. I couldn't stand the way she looked at me now, so I said,

"You would use use to crumbled stone to jump back up." Aurora blinked, carefully studying me. I tried not to look at her through aura vision, so I slowly turned and swung my arms in graceful sweeps to another position facing away from her.

"What if I died?" she asked, cautiously stepping around my standstill body. My mind was suddenly jarred, concentration lost; I relaxed and opened my eyes.

"Why would you ever think of that?" I asked her gently as I could – eight years of traveling together has shown me that she is a very delicate person on the inside. Aurora is surprisingly good at hiding the somber depths of her heart with her teasing and childish questions, but sometimes she breaks down and cries for hours. I didn't want to waste more traveling time today waiting for her to stop crying.

"I was thinking that if I died, what would you do?" she asked. I blinked in surprise – mainly her what-ifs are like "what should I do when something happens?" Now she asked me what I would do. I felt uncomfortable about answering that question – what would I do? I tilted my head, the better to think of how to convey my thoughts. In my point of view, I find it better to carefully think about what to say rather than just blurting it out, like Aurora standing in front of me.

"What would a master do if their apprentice dies?" I answered. Apprentice is the title that I had bestowed upon Aurora, being a student. The female lucario straightened, her magenta eyes flashing.

"I am not a master, Lucario, so how am I supposed to know?" she replied sharply.

"Some answers are meant to be kept a secret, Aurora." I leveled my voice to match her tone. Aurora gave me one of her lethal glares, and turned away from me. Suddenly, I felt pulses washing through me – feelings of anguish.

"Aurora..." I sighed, "Learn to control your feelings." This time, instead of feeling the waves subsiding, I was nearly knocked over from a sudden burst of anger.

"So, I am only a student?" I could hear Aurora trying to keep her fury down, but the pressure was too much for me so I stepped back, "And you have no feelings whatsoever for me? Am I not a friend?" I winced from the painful feelings of betrayal and anguish that flowed through me, beating along with Aurora's heart. Guiltily, I looked away from her intense glare. It is not typically me to show my feelings openly, nor show signs of comfort. I find it rather awkward to speak soothing words and wrap an arm around a small child, or anyone. But Aurora was indeed someone, not just any stranger; I could trust her to watch my back for me, and I would watch her back in turn. Yes, she is still very annoying, but her funny quirks and what-ifs had made the sunrises brighter every dawn of the new day. Indeed, there were strands that connected me to her. I swallowed, thinking of what to say – the pulsing made it hard to think, but I finally came to my senses.

"Aurora, I wouldn't consider you as a best friend," it was too awkward to bring myself to say friend, "but you are definitely an acquaintance." The pulses subsided slightly, and I breathed gratefully.

"Acquaintance? What would that be?" she cocked her head to one side, her pointed ears tipping gently in the direction. I was fumbling with my thoughts.

"I could guess that it would mean 'friend', but not a best friend." I answered slowly. The pained glint in those magenta pools vanished into the watery, or fiery depths – I cannot tell, for they are in some ways, both at the same time; flickering like flames, rippling and swirling like water. The pulses stopped as Aurora regained her control over her aura. She frowned, her brow furrowing, thinking.

"I'm sorry I got angry at you, Lucario." she finally said.

"So, is that a lesson learned?" I replied; forgiving is unbearably foreign on my tongue. But I nodded so she understood I accepted her apology.

"Yes." Her nose pointed downwards, in shame; she turned away, and sealed her luminous orbs. I sighed, out of impatience and out of empathy, but I only stared at her hunched figure, bent sorrowfully. I felt as if I was her older brother, with me taking care of her like this. I could not feel as if I was a teacher anymore, but more equal to this female. I was lost at words, staring at Aurora. Then she opened her eyes again and gave me a sly, sideways glance, her mouth curved upward in a half-smile.

"I guess I could be a master." she said, her canines flashing mischievously, "I have to teach you how to remember." Her tail flicked side to side in self pleasure as I tried to remember what she was initiating. I searched through my mind, but I shamefully couldn't remember anything important for today. I raised an eyebrow, silently surrendering and demanding to know what was it that I had forgotten.

"What if," Aurora leaped lightly over to me in graceful gestures, "I told you," she moved behind me, speaking softly in my ear, "that I," she slowly moved to the other as I tried to see what she was doing, "am fifteen today?" I blinked in surprise; it was her birthday today?

"But I thought that you said that your birthday was soon today," I said, trying to hold back the confusion in my voice, but by judging the way Aurora smiled, I could tell she heard it.

"But I told you that it was going to be my birthday three days from now three days ago!" Aurora laughed, "You are too concerned with survival." I snorted – of course I was concerned about survival.

"Lucario, you have to learn to _live_." Aurora emphasized the word 'live'. Since when has she learned to grow wise?

"What do you mean?" I was reluctant to know, but asked despite this.

"All you are concerned about is what will be." she said lightly, eyes flickering with intelligence, "You must enjoy the time now, and stop worrying about the future." I gasped, quietly; did she ever think about if she might come across another, equally dangerous pokemon she had to protect herself against? Did she even care about living?

"Surviving, not living, Lucario." I snapped out of my thoughts, and realized that she has read them – again.

"What did I tell you about reading my mind? I don't read yours." I grumbled. Aurora paid no mind, and moved about nonchalantly, almost as if she were dancing.

"Learn to enjoy life as it is today, not what will it tomorrow." she swung her body into an arabesque, "Learn to live – you are so... Serious." She laughed, and leaped to another footing. I was thinking – if she is telling me not to be concerned with the future, then why does she play "what-if" games?

"To annoy you." Aurora smiled, flashing her mischievous smile. In contrast, I felt irritated – irritated with all the times she nagged me and with the fact she has read my mind once more.

"Why?" I asked hotly.

"I find it rather amusing." she tilted her head again, perhaps thinking about earlier this morning, "You have no sense of humor." I raised an eyebrow.

"No sense of humor?" I asked, smiling in spite of myself, "Aurora, you have a leaf sticking to your back." Aurora suddenly stopped dancing, and spun around, trying to see the "leaf".

"Where?" she asked, and started spinning around faster, trying to find that leaf. But I knew there was not a single leaf involved. I just watched Aurora become lightheaded, smiling. Eventually, she stopped, and stumbled around for a bit, and then shook her head.

"Is it off?" she asked faintly, placing a paw to her head. I felt my mouth tugged into another smile.

"I miss the trees, how about you?" I sighed, gazing around the tree-less mountains. Aurora looked around too, and then back at me, and quickly back around the mountainside.

"So," she asked, "how did the leaf get on my back?" I snickered.

"Maybe the leaf flew." I said, loftily, waving my arms upwards like a leaf carried up by the wind.

"I highly doubt that, Lucario," Aurora scoffed, "were you lying about the leaf on my back?" I tried my best not to smile, and Aurora took the hint.

"You were?!" Aurora cried, "What kind of humor is that? What if I became so dizzy that I fell off the side of the cliff?" I folded my arms across my chest, over the spike protruding out it. I pinched my mouth slightly.

"You are too concerned with what will be." I said, smiling. Aurora huffed and stomped one of her feet. I have never seen her so annoyed before; usually the version is vice versa. She rolled her eyes, the fuchsia fire leaping brightly.

"All right," she admitted, "maybe you do have a little bit of humor, but you are still too serious." She looked off into the glowing horizon, the wind blowing through her fur. The small, warm smile softened the blazing magenta eyes, flickering gently. I couldn't help but smile too, and so I did. Aurora had a certain way of entertaining me, I'll have to admit, every morning. But this morning, at the dawn of her fifteenth birthday, seemed to be more than other births of the new day. I guess that Aurora deserved a special day to relax, and be herself.

"I think," Aurora said, taking her gaze off the scenery, "we have fooled around enough – I find that cliff very ominous. Let's skedaddle." And she jumped clear over my head and landed behind me, and started walking down the rugged, mountain path. I stood there, watching her leave, and turned my gaze upon the horizon.

"Yes," I said to the sun, its fingers of soft warmth brushing on my face, "today has certainly been different." And with that said, I bowed my head, turned on my heel, and followed Aurora down the misty mountainside.

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**Okay, so what's with the time skip? Well, basically nothing happened during that time, so I didn't feel like boring you with that part.**

**So how is it? Yay or Nay? Please tell me what you think, so I know whether or not to delete this story. It's okay if you say it is the suckiest thing in the whole wide world. ^^;**

**Oh, I almost forgot to say thanks to Star's Snowflake! I am glad you liked the intro, and thank you again!  
**


	3. Chapter 3

"Lucario!" I looked up to see Aurora waving at me, hanging upside down from a tree with her sleek, black legs. I looked around at the dense canopy surrounding her and scowled. I never liked the forest, it is so cramped with limiting moving space. I liked it better in the mountains, but Aurora insisted that we should continue our wanderings here – besides, she had said, that we need to find something to eat. I found that as a lame excuse, because there were plenty of mountain berry bushes as we descended; I think why Aurora really wanted to come to the roofed trees was so she could fool around.

"Aurora, I do not think that looks too promising." I warned, looking at her slowly dipping down. She was loosing her grasp.

"Aurora, be careful." I said again, and Aurora finally glanced at her hold with the tree. Her glowing eyes widened, and she gasped.

"Oh no." She mumbled softly, and swung her body back onto the branch. She steadied herself, and started walking along it, smiling in self-pleasure. I rolled my eyes.

"Did you not say something about needing to pick berries?" I said. Aurora leaped higher into the dense clumps of leaves, rustling and shaking them as she went. Then there was silence.

"Aurora?" I called out, wondering where she was. No one answered, nothing but silence. I walked over to where Aurora was and peered upwards, trying to see through the shady vegetation.

"Aurora?" I called out again, becoming slightly annoyed, and surprisingly, a little worried. I placed my paws on the trunk.

"Hello!" I jumped and turned around quickly, only to find Aurora hanging upside down in front of me, our noses inches apart. I stepped back, surprised. She grinned, her paws behind her back.

"Aurora!" I scolded, "Stop playing games with me like that! Not when we are supposed to find breakfast." I thought miserably – we haven't ate last night nor this morning, and I'll have to admit I was ready to eat the entire tree Aurora was hanging from. Aurora laughed, her eyes sparkling brightly, even in the dim light.

"How about an apple? Apples are good, too." She said, and brought out an apple from behind her back, holding it out to me. Cautiously, I reached out for it.

"What's the matter? I didn't poison it, Lucario." Aurora tossed the fruit to me, and I caught it. I looked down upon the apple in my paws, guiltily. I cannot eat this in front of Aurora while she was hungry. I looked back up at her.

"What are you going to eat?" I asked slowly. Aurora tilted her head to the side, and pointed up towards the canopy. Her eyes darted back to me, her magenta eyes flickering. Whatever she was trying to tell me, I did not understand.

"You are going to eat the leaves?" I guessed lamely, shrugging. Aurora pinched her facial expression in obvious disgust.

"No, silly," she laughed, "There are more apples." She swung back up into the canopy, disappearing with the greenery. There was more rustling, and I looked up, still holding the apple in my paws. I saw a flash of red, and I quickly stepped aside before several apples came crashing down, and landed on the ground with soft "thud"s. I glanced down at the pile, and looked back upwards to see Aurora climbing down. She reached the lowest branch and she jumped, landing neatly on the forest floor. Walking over, she picked up an apple from the small pile on the ground and with one sweep, she tore a small chunk out of the savory fruit. She looked meaningfully at me, magenta ripples mixing harmoniously with flame, waiting for me to eat. The longer she stared at me, the more fear I gained from the intensity of those eyes, so I wasted no time in eating. I raised the apple in my paws and bit into it with my canines. Sweetness flooded my senses, and I closed my eyes, enjoying the satisfying taste. I pulled the apple away from my mouth, and chewed thoughtfully, thinking about how Aurora hung from the tree, presenting this fruit to me. I felt my mouth curl into a crooked smile, thinking about how amusing it was to see her dangling like that. She was brimming with pure, childish, happiness. I watched her take another bite of her apple, wondering about how amazing it was that Aurora could keep herself from breaking, could stay happy and bright even with the terrible loneliness of her past haunting her from the shadows of her heart. I blinked, seeing her look back up at me with those teardrop-shaped eyes, the fire dancing and flashing in magenta pools. I felt a shiver run up my spine, but this time, I didn't feel fear. I blinked again, contemplating why I felt different – was I happy? I never felt happy about those eyes, but what I was feeling now was very different from fear. No, it can't be happiness; happiness felt a little different than this, but they are quite similar.

"Hey, are you going to eat your apple or what?" I snapped out of my trance, and Aurora looked at me, eyebrow raised. Embarrassed, I bit sullenly out of my apple, confused with my feelings. I found myself thinking about those magenta eyes again, pausing between bites. If I thought about it in another point of view, I actually thought those stunning eyes are beautiful, unmatched by none other I have seen. They had the qualities of two majestic elements: fire and water. And the way they swirl, flicker, and dance about was so graceful, dancing with Aurora's emotions. They matched Aurora's wild grace in unique harmony.

What am I thinking? I shook my head fiercely, trying to shake out the thoughts. Those pair of eyes were frightening, the very opposite of beauty. What was I thinking? Maybe the apple had been fermented too long; maybe I should stop eating. My mind wandered back to when Aurora was hanging from the tree, smiling with the fire in her eyes dancing wildly. The way she smiled then, that characteristic half smile gave me a soft, warm feeling, seeping into my soul. I blinked in surprise; this new, warm feeling, was foreign to me, but I found myself smiling in pleasure.

What is happening to me? By now I had finished the apple, looking at the neatly trimmed core.

"Do you want another apple, Lucario?" I looked up to see Aurora, holding out another apple, eyes curved gently from her playful, half turned smile. I looked at the apple, and back up at her, shyly. Somehow, she was different, so new and unfamiliar. It was like I had never known her, but I had traveled with her for eight years already. How could this be?

It had to be the apple. I jerkily shook my head, declining the offer. Aurora frowned, and then threw the apple over her shoulder.

"Okay, if you so insist." she said, "Are you sure you don't want it?" I nodded, silently, still quite lightheaded from my thoughts.

"It's gone anyways," she shrugged casually, and then frowned again.

"Are you okay? Are you feeling well?" Aurora asked, and she reached forward and gently touched my forehead, like I do when she didn't feel well. I felt tingling in my limbs, and I couldn't breathe. My heart felt like it had transformed into a chatot and was now flapping crazily within me. No, I definitely did not feel well, but with the worried look Aurora had on her face, the way the fire dimmed low, made me think twice about what I was about to answer. I did not want her to worry, partially because I felt embarrassed about having to be cared for and partially because I did not want to put more stress onto her burdened mind.

"No, I am all right, thank you." I said softly, smiling reassuringly. Aurora pulled back her paw, and the soft weight was lifted off of my head.

"Are you sure? We can rest if you like?" she asked, her eyes searching mine for an answer. I hoped she was not reading my thoughts again, because I was thinking about her eyes again.

"No, I'm fine, Aurora, really." I confirmed, and turned to walk on. I looked back to see the female looking curiously at me, head tilted to the side.

"Are you coming?" I asked her. She blinked and sighed,

"Yes, but I was wondering what the world looked like on its side," she laughed, "I mean, I have seen it from upside-down and right-side up but not sideways." I snorted; the old Aurora was back, as amusing as ever.

**~*~**

As the day progressed, I felt as though I am not recovering. My breath always tightens, and my heart will not stop flapping. I was beginning to wonder if I accidentally ate something that lived inside the apple that Aurora gave me. I feel queasy at the thought of that – maybe I swallowed a silcoon by accident, and it evolved into a beautifly in my stomach; but silcoons are not that small. I watched Aurora, carefree as usual, the "beautifly" flapping horrendously. She ran around, darting through the trees, winding in and out of view. Finally, she came back to my side with no signs of being tired.

"Lucario," she said, studying my face, but I looked away – the beautifly becomes restless when I see Aurora.

"Lucario," she said again, but softer, "you have been awfully quiet lately."

"Is there something wrong with that?" I asked her, still avoiding eye contact.

"Yes," she said matter of factly, "usually you point out my mistakes, and tell me to stop fooling around, but now you are quiet." I blinked – I did not realize my silence.

"I do not want to scold you on your birthday, Aurora." I said, trying to make up for my silence.

"But you told me to stop climbing around earlier, remember?" she said, "Why are you being so quiet, now?" She had me trapped, not knowing how to answer that. I opened and closed my mouth, speechless, as Aurora looked on, demanding an explanation with her eyes.

Luckily, my saving grace came as a sound.

There was a yelp, far off, but not too far. The cry was followed shortly with crashing of leaves and branches, and turning to the epicenter of the racket, I saw a blur fall into the undergrowth. My senses, once nulled by the sweetness of the apple, was immediately sharpened, alert and keen. I stared intently at the spot where the thing had fallen into, ears pricked.

"What is it?" Aurora hissed from behind me.

"Quiet." I told her calmly, gesturing for her to keep quiet while my gaze still fixed upon that spot. I pulled an arm forward, blue wisps of aura issuing from my palms, and slowly walked forward. I hovered a paw over the disturbed, broken patch of bush, unsure of what will happen next. It was as if the whole world was holding its breath to see what will happen next. I decided not to suffocate the world, and quickly yanked away the leaves to reveal -

"AH!" Something bright and metallic rolled past me, like a disk except with an angular hole cut into it. I quickly looked back to see what it was.

"Great, you pulled off my mask!" I blinked in shock; a grumbling, navy blue ball sporting a fancy cloth on the backside pushed past me with stubby arms. I looked up to see Aurora equally shocked. The thing picked up the metallic disk and pushed it in its face, shifting it around until it turned around. It looked back at me, the mask enhancing a dignified effect. The angular cuts in the disk had a sharp slant over the thing's yellow, glowing, pupil-less eyes. I had never imagined anyone, asides Aurora, having frightening eyes, but these glared back, sharp and expressionless. They pierced through me, the same feeling when I think Aurora could see through me, but even more spine chilling. This time, I am sure it can see right through me.

Aurora had other ideas, though.

"Oh, you are really cute!" she said, laughing. The thing turned around.

"What, me?" it said, disbelief evident in the voice. As far as I could tell, it sounded young and like a male. Aurora laughed, not deterred by the stabbing glances of this creature.

"Yeah, you." she said, "What kind of pokemon are you?"

"Pokemon?" he said, "what's that?"

"Are you crazy?" Aurora asked, "Aren't you a pokemon, because you do not look like a human, either."

"I'm neither, whatever a pokemon is." he said, "Are you guys walking blue dogs or something? Oh my, this has been a really weird day." I was trying to comprehend all he said – he's not a pokemon, nor a human? If he was neither, what possibly could he be?

"Who are you?" I asked, breaking the silence. The thing looked back at me with his yellow gaze. Despite his short height, I had the impression that he was still lethal.

"My name is Mandite."

* * *

**Whoo! It is hard to write in a guy's perspective, being a girl.**

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**As far as I am concerned, I guess I could keep this story out for a while longer. Thanks Lupyne! ^^  
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	4. Chapter 4

"So, tell me what are pokemon?" It was evening with the sun only bidding good night just a half an hour ago, and between Mandite and I was a small fire, blocked off from the rest of the prairie by stones. Tired from the day's travel through the woods, I wasn't ready to answer questions like the one Mandite had asked me now. Mandite was definitely an interesting specimen. Claiming that he was not even related to a pokemon, he had told Aurora so, proving himself very true. After being asked whether or not he was from the Hoenn region, Mandite pronounced that he has never heard of that place ever before, and explained all too quickly that before he tumbled into the forest earlier today, he had been chasing a "Dark Nebula".

"Well," Aurora started, giving me a quick glance, "pokemon are creatures that possess different abilities to heal, attack, transport, and to defend." Mandite laughed from beneath his mask.

"Well, I can put a band-aid on myself, cut you in half, walk over to that tree there, and hide behind this rock," Mandite said, patting the boulder he was resting on, "but that doesn't mean I'm a pokemon." Aurora sighed, rolling her eyes, and I smirked – finally, there's someone Aurora can be impatient with.

"Sorry," Mandite said, seeing the look in Aurora's flashing eyes, "but I had to point out that mistake." Mandite carefully adjusted the mask on his face. This blue, living sphere – Mandite – was strange, as I said before. He has the ability to wield a weapon, which he dubbed "Galaxia". Earlier, he had brought it forth; the gleaming, golden, pronged blade presented itself as an ominous murderer. The jewel in the centerpiece where there is an intersection point was a blood-red ruby, crowning the savage beauty – and there is no better soul to wield it than Mandite. His hands are dexterous and incredibly quick, and he has the knack of disappearing and reappearing within a blink of an eye. Being so skillful in his arts, I had made a mental note not to try and spar this youngling with his deadly talon at any point in the future. Furthermore, Mandite's eyes did not always keep its amber hue – depending how he is feeling at the moment, his eyes will fade into a new color, shining like light on the surface of the water, and fade back out as the same, monotone yellow. It had also turned out that Mandite's eyes, so sharp and fierce, were also cunning, able to peer into the darkest of caves and still see. His eyesight was so powerful and mind so keen that he can understand another's emotions just by a glance. He was so bizarre, hiding behind that mask of his. As I looked upon the young warrior, only aged seven years, a question turned in my mind. With his eyes keen for faults, maybe he might know what was happening to me earlier. But I was rather hesitant to ask – asking for help is beyond me. I guess I will just have to figure this problem out myself. Besides, I find it rather embarrassing to ask a seven year old to help my problem, being sixteen years old.

"I can fly!" Mandite had climbed to the top of the boulder he was earlier resting against, "Doesn't mean I'm a pokemon.

Something in my mind told me that I have picked up another young fool. Now there are "what if"s and "doesn't mean"s. I watched Mandite furl out his cape, preparing to jump, doubting his claim that he can fly – not a breath of wind was stirring. But the young one had again surprised me – he flung his cape off his back and now sported a pair of wings, sinister, violet, menacing and claw-adorning wings. He made a few springs, rocking on his feet, and made a great leap off the boulder. He soared through the air, waving to me as he passed on by. Once he was distanced a hundred yards away, he made a turning motion with his wings, but only to crash into the ground in one, catastrophic fall.

"Mandite?" Aurora stood up, and peered around for the child. Her head swung from side to side, her eyes searching. She took a few steps forward towards the taller grasses. Meanwhile, I had also stood, and glanced around.

"Boo!" we both jumped at the sudden noise, turning to face a pink-eyed Mandite, the pink light glowing brightly from behind his mask, seemingly out of place for the sinister knight. Almost everything about him contradicted his playful personality, from his wings, to his sword, to the deep slant over his eyes. It made me wonder if his face was the same way, too. I have never seen it, but Aurora has, a second before Mandite slipped his mask on. She hinted that it was "cute". What could that mean? For the first time in several years, I felt childish curiosity consume me – a feeling that I haven't experienced since I was a young riolu. Sheepishly, I asked quietly,

"What does your face look like without your mask?" Aurora looked at me, quickly turning her head, with a puzzled expression playing on her face. I could tell that she was thinking that I was asking something rather unusual for my standards. I glanced back at her and shrugged and told her telepathically _[I really wanted to know.]_

_[That's funny – so did I.]_ I gave her a sharp look, thinking about how she had said his face was cute, _[Well – I mean that I want to see it again, too.]_

"Why do you guys want to see my face so badly?" Mandite complained, "It's not like your life depends on it." He touched a gloved hand protectively on his mask's metallic surface. Aurora tilted her head, thinking.

"It's good to know things." she said plainly. Mandite exhaled sharply.

"Some things are meant to be kept a secret." He scoffed. Aurora laughed, the sound as soft as a gentle wind through the mountains. Something inside me stirred – it was the warm feelings again. Irritated, I tried to force them back down.

"You're just as bad as Lucario." she said, and laughed some more. I, for one, didn't find anything amusing; I flattened my ears and bared my teeth. Mandite hummed a little, and thought. Still wanting to see his face, I thought bribing him into doing so. I spotted the cape laid carelessly in the grass, and picked it up, holding it by the collar with one hand.

"Mandite?" he looked up at me, and his eyes widened when he saw the cape in my paw, "Do you want this back?" Mandite rushed forward and tried to snatch it from me, but I proved to be too tall. I raised the cape higher.

"Give that back!" he cried, but I ignored him. He waved his hands in the air, trying to reach it.

"Please! Give it back!" he begged desperately, but I decided to push my luck a little farther.

**"GIVE IT BACK, **_**NOW!**_**"** I stumbled back from the sudden outburst. For someone as small and young as Mandite, he has very strong vocal chords. Mandite snatched back the cape from my stunned paws and held it with him. He sat back down on the ground with a clumsy landing, and looked forlornly away as I rubbed the sides of my ears, still ringing from his powerful voice. He looked back at me and said, in a much softer tone,

"This cape is the only thing I got left of my uncle."

His uncle? I had never known he would have any kind of relatives. I looked on, puzzling the fact. Aurora was equally perplexed.

"Uncle?" she asked gently.

"Never mind." Mandite held it against his mask, thinking deeply, eyes fading into a deep, emerald green. At that point, he looked so wise, him thinking so in depth that it was hard to believe that he was only a young child.

"Do you ever blink?" My ears pricked at the sound of Aurora's random question. Mandite looked up and his eyes flashed, briefly disappearing into darkness. Aurora then nodded, seeing her question explained. Mandite seemed to pause his thinking, staring at Aurora as still as the motionless boulder behind him. By then, his eyes had liquefied back into amber, and finally he blinked.

"Do I scare you?" he asked, looking back and forth between me and Aurora. I simply nodded, feeling rather ashamed of my discourteous actions earlier with the cape, and Aurora said,

"Only a little bit." Mandite blinked three times.

"Oh." was all he said, and touched his mask, "It's my eyes, isn't it?" I couldn't help but nod again, and Aurora shrugged slightly. Mandite only hummed and tapped his mask thoughtfully.

"Uncle Tally always said my eyes could look right into his heart through all his gears," he said, "always glowing in the dark like a night light – I guess that's why we never had a night light at home." I realized Mandite was more of talking to himself now more than he was to us. Quietly and patiently, I waited for him to turn his attention back to us. I glanced over at Aurora, who was calmly looking back at the same moment. Even on the side of her face without the firelight shining on it, her eyes shined brightly. But right now, her eyes seemed a little dulled, and sad. I frowned, wondering why she was feeling this way – it made a small twinge in my heart thinking about her pain. I broke contact, tearing away my eyes from her breath-taking gaze and looked to Mandite, who was also thinking about something that pained him – I saw it in the slight tilt in his eyes. I then reflected on my own self – I was a disgrace, only another child, another child with no special name. No one knew about that, but me and my parents. As I looked about our small group, I thought that we all held back our own secrets tonight, all of us an enigma to another. All three of us, I realized, were more in common than I would ever thought we would. I sighed, thinking about it all, and closed my eyes.

"I am tired." I blinked and looked up at Mandite, who had pompously spoken, and slid off the metallic disk that had covered his face. Upon looking on his features, I gasped. It was the only trademark that portrayed his child-like characteristic – two large, oval shaped eyes colored a pale forest green, a small mouth, and two purple spots on either side of his face. Now I could understand why Mandite wanted the mask – his face was rather like a baby more than anything; the eyes then looked so innocent, his mouth a small pinprick on the dark blue surface. He held his mask, rolling it from side to side shyly. Thinking back on how Aurora had described it, I connected the word "cute" with his face, so innocent and so dear. Even a male as old as me would think that this child was quite adorable, as odd as it seems. It was a precious face, and just to think that this same child, so innocent, was one of the most skilled warriors living at the same time. It was rather hard to believe, and the thought of it was so ironic, I had to smile.

"Don't laugh." Mandite covered what he could of his face with his small hands. I caught a glimpse of Aurora, trying to suppress her soft laugh, eyes dancing in amusement. I tried my best not to smile – Mandite might take that as an offense towards him rather than me simply smiling because of another surge of warm, pleasurable feelings.

"We're not laughing at you," Aurora said gently, "Well, at least as far as I'm concerned. In my opinion, you are fine." Mandite uncovered his eyes a little and looked at her.

"You're not going to laugh at me?" he asked, still unsure. We both shook our heads, and Mandite lifted his hands from his face. He smiled, a small, crooked half smile, reminding me of Aurora's sly half-turned smiles. But for Aurora, this time, she flashed the young one a full, warm and gentle smile, her with canines showing a bit.

"So, why are you staying with us?" she asked. I looked from her to Mandite.

"Why are you keeping me?" Mandite countered, and after seeing the annoyed look on the female lucario's face, continued, "I'm kidding – I dunno, actually. I just want to go home. Certainly I can get back to my place somehow." He reached his little arms out and touched his feet.

"Can you guys help me go home?" he asked us. I thought about it; Mandite was surprisingly not as irritating as I had though – he was a good companion, as his thoughtful conversations proved earlier in the day. But what disturbed me was the fact Mandite came from an entirely new place different from all the existing regions. Did he come from a new region, or did he come from an entirely different world? As far as we are both concerned, we come from totally opposite lives. It made sense, but it was so eerie to think of that. How can there possibly be another world? If neither of us have heard anything about either side, how can it be that two worlds existed side by side? I have heard about exaggerated tales of a certain legendary pokemon, Giratina, had the power to slide through different dimensions. Was it possible that Giratina had accidentally left an opening from our dimension and Mandite's? It seems reasonable, but the whole thought of it all is rather confusing, and quite frightening. A whole new world, with new people? Could something dangerous slip through? It is all very troubling, but I decided it was best to put it aside and answer Mandite's question.

"Yes, Mandite." I confirmed, nodding in approval. Aurora nodded along with me.

"Yays!" Mandite exclaimed, and then spreading his cape over himself, he said, "Now I am going to bed – night y'all." I nodded, and looking over to Aurora, I said,

"We should also go to sleep – we have to wake up early." She dipped her head and leaned herself against a smooth stone outcropping and closed her eyes. I watched her fall asleep, so smoothly and quickly – it was remarkable that she could fall into deep sleep so easily, while I have to have a good hour to settle myself. Slowly, I let my body fall back, and as I waited for my eyes to drift close, I kept my gaze on Aurora. Slightly curled into a neat figure, her eyes barely stirring, she was so peaceful. It seemed as if she had not a care in the world. But I wondered if she was just as confused as I was about the possibility of two worlds, only with a well protective mask to cover it. All her feelings and emotions are carefully tucked behind soft, pale sapphire velvet and obsidian pelt – all except two teardrop windows. Tonight, her secrets are safe as she slept.

"She's worried about you, you know." I blinked and turned my head towards Mandite. With the fire dimming low, Mandite's eyes were once again enshrouded in darkness and glowing amber again. Perhaps Mandite's eyes only glowed in the dark.

"Why would she be worried about me?" I asked, feeling confused. The only other time I could think of when Aurora had been worried about me was earlier today when I started to feel lightheaded. I shook my head.

"She thinks that you are acting really different – more quiet than usual." Mandite continued simply. I blinked – how does he know all of this?

"Aurora's emotions are really easy to read." the puffball said smugly, sinking deeper behind his cape, "she's a nice person." Without even thinking twice, I nodded in agreement. For a few minutes we sat there, thinking.

"So," Mandite broke the silence, "we're friends, right?" I hesitated – friends? I barely knew this young warrior, and already he is extending a warm welcome? Could I trust him? What if he kills me in my sleep? What if he killed Aurora? I shuddered to think of the thought of Aurora dead. But I am a lunatic – looking at Mandite, his glowing eyes peering innocently over the edge of his cape, I thought that how could he possibly love to kill? With his mask, it seemed so, but I am learning to look beyond a mask. He was a small child, looking for his home. Lost – and he needed us. I made up my mind.

"Yes," I said, "we can be friends." Mandite sunk deeper behind his cape in satisfaction, closing his eyes.

"And he is your friend within a few hours and I am not within eight years?" I turned to see Aurora, still leaning on the outcropping, but magenta eyes uncovered, the fire licking her pupils teasingly. Thinking back, Aurora had always been there for me when I needed her and when I didn't. She supported me, and looked out for me, even if she was dashing ahead of the path. But what have I done? I only taught her and treated her inferior to me, haven't I? With her kindness, Aurora was definitely a friend to me, but how could I be a good friend to her? Aurora watched me expectantly, and I sighed.

"Fine," I laughed, "you are a friend, too." Happily, Aurora smiled and closed her eyes, drifting back asleep. Suddenly, I felt tired, my eyelids aching to seal shut. I closed my eyes and soon my breathing was as even as the two sleeping friends around me.

* * *

**Arghh, this chapter isn't that great. I screwed up. I was writing a majority of this while listening to the "Spanish Flea", the most inappropriate song to play when writing a serious piece.**

**So, do any of you know who is this "Mandite?"  
**

**Yay or Nay? Rate and Review!  
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	5. Chapter 5

As my father had told me many years ago, we all must learn something new everyday. And the very first thing I had learned this morning was that someone actually awoken earlier than I did.

"Get up! Get up!" I felt something shove my side, and heard a young voice, "Rise and shine! Let's get up and at 'em!" I groaned in protest – I am a early riser, but this early? My eyes remained sealed.

"Wake-y, wake-y!" Mandite pulled on one of my eyelids blew on my eye. I growled, immediately springing to my feet, rubbing my burning eye. Mandite cackled, a mischievous glint in his glowing eyes. I looked over to Aurora, who was beginning to sit up. She let out a soft moan, and rubbed her eyes.

"You are awake." I said, smiling. She looked up at me, her lids drooped slightly over her magenta eyes out of sleepiness.

"Am now." she said, and yawned. Slowly, she got to her feet, and steadied herself, clearing her head. Mandite skipped over, fluttering his little wings in cheeriness, mind bright and fully awake. Meanwhile, Aurora and I remained drowsy, weary from sleep.

"Finally, you two are up!" he exclaimed happily, "the sun is going to rise in another hour, so let's find something to eat for breakfast so we can go by the time it reaches over that peak." Mandite pointed to a distant mountain on the horizon. As for now, the sky around it remained indigo. Blinking the last of my sleep out of my eyes, I stretched – I do not start thai chi until the sun rises.

"What's for breakfast?" Mandite stopped his prancing to look curiously at me. I frowned back at him – usually, we only eat when we were hungry, and certainly I didn't feel hungry at the moment.

"We don't have regular meals, Mandite." Aurora stated calmly, Mandite looked rather shocked and perplexed, then.

"You guys are so weird." he mumbled, "Where I come from, I have regular mealtimes – ample and frequent." I blinked; did he mean to tell us that he ate incredible amounts of food? I started to wonder, that if he did eat as often and luxurious as he said, how are we supposed to feed him while we have to travel long distances often without stop for food nor water. I looked to Aurora, and I could tell that she was thinking along the same lines as I was. She gave me a worried look.

_[How are we going to deal with this, Lucario?]_ she asked, her voice soft within the boundaries of my mind. I tried to think of a wise response, but none came to mind.

_[I am not exactly sure.]_ I answered, and sighed. We both looked back to Mandite, who was looking back and forth between the two of us.

"I could just pick up food along the way," he said, "I eat really fast." We looked at each other again. _[Is this possible?]_ I asked. She looked away, slightly.

_[We could try for today,]_ she said, blinking and looking up at me, _[I mean, what else do we do?]_ Gently, I nodded and looked down on the young warrior, tilting my head.

"Fine, then." I said, "You can eat along the way." Mandite, once dulled, brightened and clapped his hands together.

"Great!" he piped up, and skipped around again. I tilted my vision back on the horizon, awaiting for the sun to rise. I heard some soft paddings and I rotated my head to see Aurora walking towards me. I turned the rest of my body so that I fully faced her. She stopped in front of me, tilting her head up slightly so she can look me in the eye. I look down on her, thinking that she may have came to close to my personal space for my comforts. I slowly stepped back, to make it seem I am just shifting my weight to a more comfortable position. Aurora squints her eyes and then shook her head. I knew she came to me to ask a question – as usual.

"Did Mandite tell you what he eats?" she asked. I shook my my head – Mandite told me nothing about what his diet consisted of, only that it was a heavy load of it. She only sighed, not speaking further, and turned away to look at the ground. I could tell that she was thinking deeply – I bent my head to try and see what expression she was feeling. As far as I could tell, she only appears to be in deep thought. Under normal circumstances, I would have just left her to carry out my early morning duties, but this morning I stayed, and out of my own surprise, called her name without thinking it through – I don't even have a reason for talking to her. For some odd reason, I just wanted to.

"Aurora?" Her name had already slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it. She looked up at me, her eyes searching mine carefully. I glanced to the side uncomfortably and bit back my tongue, in order to keep quiet. What was wrong with me?

"Lucario," she stepped closer to me, and I felt the blood pounding through my ears, but why I wasn't too sure, "is there -" she stopped, and peered into my eyes again, the fire dancing in bright magenta shades. She stepped closer still, and I couldn't help but shrink away – it was my unconscious reaction. She was too close for my comforts. Aurora stepped back and looked away.

"Never mind." she simply said, and turned to attend to Mandite, who's shouts were heard through the early morning air. I watched her leave, thinking about my confused feelings, not knowing how to describe them – I don't even know what they are. I shook my head, trying my best to clear my thoughts. The sun will rise shortly, and I must have a fresh mind and quieted soul in order to function properly. But I feel restless this morning, my concentration fractured. I closed my eyes and awaited the approach of dawn.

~*~

Just as promised, Mandite was a quickly-paced eater and had quite a knack of finding tidbits as well. I was afraid that he had a developed taste for specific foods, but it turns out that he is quite fond of eating a diversity of edibles, including an odd favorite – wildflowers. The young blue warrior, so short and unseen in the tall grasses, would pull down and pluck stalks of blooming flowers and pop them into his mouth. As for now, he wore none of his armor, which was wrapped tightly by his cape, a useful object for a blanket and a knapsack. Aurora would follow him, making sure of herself that he wasn't getting into too much trouble. At one point in time, he almost came close to being trampled by a torterra, but his quick reflexes pulled him out of harm's way. As for me, I am a mere observer, just watching the two. They would run around, laughing, and chasing each other. It's nice that Aurora finally had someone to run with, to laugh with.

To be a friend with. Once again, I felt guilty for never being much of a encouraging friend, or being any kind of a friend except for a friend that taught and no more. Seeing Aurora and Mandite laugh and race up and down the landscape was a sentimental delight for me – Aurora never looked so happy. The only regret I have is when it was time that Mandite would have to leave to go home and say good bye. How would Aurora react to this? I try not to think of it, so I only watch the two fool around. Eventually, Mandite stops for a brief moment and notices I have pulled myself away from the group.

"Lucario!" he yells, and takes one of my paws, dragging me over to the top of a flower-crested hill.

"What are you, a statue?" the little puffball joked, "C'mon – you are being a bum, sitting around like that!" He lets go of my paw once we reach the top, and he plucks off a bud, popping it into his mouth after a brief examination.

"Can we take a break? I'm starving!" And without an answer from me, he sits down and picks the little blooms. I sighed, rolling my eyes from exasperation, and perhaps amusement. It always seemed Mandite was always hungry, no matter how frequent he ate, or how much. Turning around, I spotted Aurora, racing uphill towards us, feet moving so fast it seemed she was flying. She skidded to a stop a few yards before me, flowers spraying everywhere. Yellow petals tickled my face, and I turned away to stop them from provoking a sneeze. Laughing, Aurora collapsed onto her haunches, her voice floating softly in my mind.

"So, you finally decided to join us?" she said, and I realized she was talking to me. I was about to answer, but then Mandite interrupted.

"You mean that I finally dragged his bum over here." he laughed, and Aurora smiled, and glances up at me. I only stare down at her, the wind blowing through my fur, my mind as dumb as a rock.

"Well sit down!" Aurora exclaimed, reaching up to tug on my paw. Blinking, I sat down alongside the other two. Certainly, I felt just as dumb as a rock – I wasn't really thinking of anything, just feeling as though I was in a dream.

"Are you all right?" Aurora gently reached out and touched my arm. Oh no – I felt myself choking, but only silently. I coughed, and my face flushed with heat. Am I ill? I tried to think of the last time I had water – that was two days ago. It was about time that I felt thirsty again, but was I really thirsty? Aurora was thinking along the same lines as I was, and she sniffed, her head swooning from side to side in search of the hint of moist earth.

"There's a brook due north from here – we can go there if you'd like." she said at last, and by now I had stopped flushing. I glanced over at Mandite, who had a pinched look on his little face. I couldn't help but wonder about what could he be thinking.

"I think we should go over there." he said, still staring with his mouth pinched, "you need something to eat, too." He held up a flower. I snorted, my mouth curling in disgust.

"No, thank you." I said, but Mandite only glared.

"I did not _ask_, I _said_ – now eat before you waste away." Mandite handed me the flower, its yellow petals waving and bouncing in the wind. I simply held it, examining it closely. I thought flowers were for decorative and aromatic purposes, but never it came across my mind as for eating. The flower didn't seem so appealing to my appetite.

"Don't let your knowledge prejudice food," I looked to see Aurora, fuchsia flames leaping and flipping. She leaned forward and gently took the flower from my paw, and settled back. She stuck the bloom in her mouth and cleanly tore the stem away.

"See? Now it's your turn." She reached and plucked another flower and placed in my paws. I thought for a moment, thinking – was it possible for me to digest flowers? Plant eaters' digestive tract were designed to break down tough fibers, but what about me? As a child growing by the sea, I remember having to eat seaweed, but I never really enjoyed it. I grimaced, thinking about the slimy, green, rubbery algae being caught in my throat. Could this taste the same? Hesitantly, I sniffed the small budding, and sneezed from it tickling my nose.

"Whoo! S'cuse you!" Mandite whistled, "Allergic, eh?" I frowned – I did not have allergies at all; in fact, lucarios were not supposed to inherit allergies, for it wasn't part of their genetic trait. Only very rarely are we ill. I shook my head.

"No," I said, "I just think my nose is rather..." I didn't know how else to put it.

"... Ticklish." I finished, and shrugged. Mandite just burst out laughing. As for me, I didn't really know what was so funny. I raised an eyebrow, demanding to know.

"Ahh," Mandite pretended to wipe a tear from his eye, "it's just the way you said it that was – HAH!" And with that, Mandite began to roll around, tickled by words.

~*~

As time went by, and days turned into weeks, I had learned to tolerate my peculiar symptoms of my unknown disease. By now, we have established a firm bond between the three of us, although it was the other two who mainly did the talking. As we trudged on through mountains, prairies, forests, and deserts, Mandite would tell grand tales of his world in elaborate detail, leaving the two of us in awe. In turn, Aurora would tell some stories, but I couldn't say that would be an equal barter. However, Mandite seemed perfectly pleased to let his mouth do the telling. Now, it was late spring, the time of the year where the rivers would be swollen from snow melt high up in the mountains, but as we approached a dehydrated water bed hidden in a ravine, I could tell that the snow melt has not reached this point yet. We had been traveling along its pebble-laden shore for two days, now. It had been such a great river, suffocated by the freezing winter. The old banks were well over our heads, an amazement to us all. Our footsteps echoed through the ravine.

"Uggh!" Mandite said, stretching, "I want to go swimming!" That fact we already knew, for it was repeated twenty-three times yesterday and ten today. I nodded, acknowledging the fact. The truth was that I also longed to swim, just as Mandite did, an activity I haven't enjoyed since I have left my childhood home. Being part of the marine colony of lucarios, I have been raised as a strong swimmer ever since birth. If you wanted food, my father said, swim out to it – don't wait for it to come to you. I took his words of wisdom seriously, chasing fineons far out at sea at hours at a time starting when I was three. Ever since, I loved to feel the water flow through my fur, and feel its coolness and unpredictability. Water can either be calm, its surface mirroring the world above, or it can be sheer, wild power, taking form as crashing waves or surging rapids. Beneath the surface, it was a totally new world, peaceful and cool.

"Hey, that looks promising!" Mandite suddenly ran ahead and beyond the bend, where he disappeared from sight. Mandite is always seeing far ahead of things, far beyond my eyesight that's for sure. Pacing my footsteps quickly, I hurried to catch up to that little ball of energy. Suddenly, I stopped, noticing an absence – I turned around to see Aurora, walking very slowly. That is odd; normally she would run straight after Mandite, her own curiosity brimming over. But now she walked solemnly, footstep after footstep, looking very wary. In fact, she had been wary since we entered this ravine, saying nothing except when answering a question. I waited for her, but Aurora's pace seems to move even slower, every step seemingly to be taken in agony.

"Aurora," I said firmly but not so that it was strict, "we are waiting for you, please move a little faster." She looked up and then wearily walked at a faster pace. She reached my side, and I turned walk, matching the female's pace. She hated being alone, so I stayed with her. While walking alongside her, slowly closing the gap between us and Mandite, I wondered if there was something wrong with her legs. Was the pebble-laden floor hurting her feet? Was a pebble wedged painfully between her pads?

"Aurora," I began to ask, "is there something wrong with your foot?" Aurora stopped in her tracks, and thought for a moment. She lifted a foot and then pressed it down into the ground, testing for pain. She frowned and then said,

"I don't think so." and continued walking. It was my turn to ponder and frown – I knew something was wrong. I decided I will not let my attention dwell on such thoughts, so I left it be. We continued on in silence.

The pool Mandite had spotted from afar was indeed very promising, a strong survivor of the drought. It was big enough, clear enough, and deep enough to please me. Although I was yearning for bottomless waters, I cannot expect an ocean for every body of water – it will suffice. I couldn't stop smiling, my childish instincts finally awakening after a eight year slumber. I turned to look back at Aurora, but she merely stood there, not making any effort to join me. Instead, she asked a question.

"Where's Mandite?" I realized that I didn't see Mandite at all. I quickly glanced around. Where was that troublemaker? Thinking that maybe he was already in the water, I leaned over the water's edge and peered in. But was he really in there?

"KALA-BUNGA!!!!!!" I turned my head quickly in time to see Mandite dash and leap into the air. He plummeted down deep into the reservoir, spraying me with a tidal wave. I blinked the water out of my eyes, and looked back to only have Mandite emerge and squirt a spout of water out his mouth and onto my unsuspecting face. I sputtered, shaking it off in disgust. Mandite cackled and flapped his wings, spraying droplets in all directions.

"C'mon! You guys take forever!" Mandite dove back down beneath the surface. I couldn't restrain my own glee any longer, so I waded through the shallow end. I got around knee deep when I remembered Aurora. Aurora... I turned to look back towards the shore, where she was sitting at the edge and hugging her knees close to her. I breathed, taking in the scene. She looked so forlorn, that it pained me too. I walked back over and knelt beside her, placing a reassuring paw on her shoulder. Aurora opened her eyes and glanced up at me.

"What's wrong?" I asked, so softly and gently, "Can you swim?" Aurora's eyes widened and she let out a short bark.

"Hah, of course I can swim." But by the hesitation in her voice, the nervous edge, gave her feelings away – fear.

"Well, c'mon then." Mandite called from the water, and dove back under. I watched the bubbles disappear before turning back to Aurora. She looked even more afraid and torn. She sighed and rested her head on her knees. Something clicked in my head. Aurora was born in the mountains, which means that she was part of the terrestrial colony. They rarely swam at all, but they still could. Aurora, however, grew up without parents that could teach her how to glide through the water, or even float.

"Aurora," I asked, "are you afraid of the water?" She looked up at me, her head still resting. She looked so vulnerable, like a small child needing reassurance. Slowly, she nodded her head. I sighed, thinking what should I do. Aurora probably had once nearly drowned in her life, which would explain her fear of water. Usually, if it is something new, then she would have an enthusiastic curiosity, not a somber silence. I thought back on how I managed her depressed situations. I was still a teacher, wasn't I?

"Aurora, I can teach you how to swim." I offered, and she raised her head, her eyes brightening slightly, "I promise you will not drown – not while I'm here." I added hastily, for I couldn't promise complete safety while I wasn't around. Otherwise, I couldn't let her drown, not ever. I stood up and held out a paw for her take. She reached out and held it while I pulled her up. Aurora was once again on her feet, but she didn't let go of my paw. She only looked up at me, her eyes soft and gentle, flames licking her pupils. I felt at first stunned, but then my face started getting warm. Oh no – not again. I turned away, embarrassed, and pulled my paw out from her grasp. I looked back at Aurora; she also looked away uncomfortably, I think. I breathed deeply, and my face wasn't flushing with heat anymore. Relieved, I turned back to face Aurora, who stood there, looking at me impatiently.

"Well," she said, in a superficial way, "are you going to teach me how to swim?" I smiled in amusement, and matched her tone.

"Only if you are ready." I said. She smiled back, and I felt my heart stir. In my mind, I gritted my teeth, annoyed with the feeling. I walked into the water, and Aurora followed me, but stopped at the edge.

"Aurora," I said, turning back, "you can stand – it is shallow over here." She took a ginger step into the water, and another, and another following after that. I could tell that she was still quite frightened. I encouraged her to move deeper and deeper, but by the time she got to waist-deep, she wouldn't go any further. She protested when I tried to get her to move farther into the pool, so I left her be. In fact, I felt like joshing around – if the land was her turf for tomfoolery, then let the water be mine. I walked backward, still trying to persuade Aurora to go deeper when I pretended to slip. I let myself slide beneath the surface, and my aura vision replaced my sight. Oh, it was so good to be back. I carefully pulled my arms, navigating around Aurora, who was calling out my name. I could hear her muffled cries through the fluid, but I ignored it. I reached her backside when I decided to surprise her. I sent a plume of water cascading onto her body. She cried out in panic and whipped around. But the frightened expression vanished when she saw me laughing, and was replaced with an irritated face.

"Don't do that!" she scolded, reminding me of the times when I scolded her.

"You deserved it." I replied loftily and she huffed in defiance. It was amazing how the water brought back my long dead childhood pranks.

The rest of the time in the water continued on very much the same way it had in the beginning – me sneaking up and surprising Aurora, and her complaining about it. After a while, Mandite joined the fray, and together, we had a free for all splash-battle. Laughing and shouting, we let the hours passed before I realized that it was late afternoon. Soon, it would be cold, and one of us could get sick. Our little trio relieved the water of its beasts. Shaking off access water, we continued down our path through the ravine, the echoes of our laughs the only thing remaining at the still pool.

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**I'm SOOOOO sorry about the skipping around in the story! I had a brain fart. ^^;**

**I also apologize for the long wait - I was working on school stuff and playing Brawl (WHOO-HOO!)  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys, I'm putting my comments at the top for a reason. You'll see why. **

**I think I did really bad, I mean seriously bad this time with the writing, cause I don't have enough experience with this technique, and I sort of - well bombed it. But I'm putting this chapter up for the heck of it. Yeah, people are probably going to say "This is _the_ worst _ever_." and leave this story.**

**But I'm writing for those who do want to read this story, such as Lupyne. I forgot to mention my thanks to Opengunner last chapter so I'm giving my thanks now. I hope I don't disappoint you guys.**

**Now, on with the show!  
**

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"OOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"

"CUT IT OUT MANDITE!" I barked, pressing my ears flat against my head. I looked over to Aurora, who was doing the same motion, wincing from ear pain. This is going to be the last time Aurora asks Mandite to sing. Although it was amusing that she regrets her foolish question, I'm suffering from it too, and I am the innocent one. Mandite can't sing, or at least I wouldn't call screaming singing.

"NINE HUNDRED NINETY-NINE MILLION, NINE HUNDRED NINETY-NINE THOUSAND, EIGHT HUNDRED TWENTY-SEVEN BOTTLES OF BEER ON THE WALL!!!!!" I groaned; how this song went is that the singer starts at nine-hundred ninety-nine million, nine-hundred ninety nine thousand, nine hundred ninety-nine and counts down one every single round of singing. I had a bad feeling this song wasn't going to end anytime soon.

"NINE HUNDRED NINETY-NINE MILLION, NINE HUNDRED NINETY-NINE THOUSAND, EIGHT HUNDRED TWENTY-SEVEN BOTTLES OF BEER!" Mandite wailed, flapping his wings to an unknown beat.

"Someone make him stop!" Aurora pleaded, trying desperately to block out the sound. I only wish there was someone.

"TAKE ONE DOWN,"

"It's all your fault!" I yelled over Mandite's piercing voice. Aurora only bared her teeth, wincing from the magnitude of the singing.

"PASS IT AROUND,"

"Mandite PLEASE!!!" She cried, but Mandite remained oblivious, and kept right on chanting his little song.

"NINE HUNDRED NINETY-NINE MILLION, NINE HUNDRED NINETY-NINE THOUSAND, EIGHT-HUNDRED TWENTY-SIX BOTTLES OF BEER!"

"I can't take it anymore!" Aurora hissed between gritted teeth. I nodded in agreement. I am about to go insane if I have to listen to another bottle of beer being orally passed around by Mandite again.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"MANDITE!!!!" We both yelled at him. Mandite looked at the two of us in surprise, his eyes wide, holding a wing in front of him to shield himself.

"What?" he said indignantly. We both stared at him, our ears still pressed tightly against our heads by our shaking paws. He looked back and forth, back and forth until he realized for himself what he has done.

"Oh," he said, "you guys don't like my singing, don't you?" I hesitated – I did not want to hurt the little warrior's feeling, but I have to say something.

"We -" Aurora started, but Mandite interrupted her with a wave of his hand.

"Chill," he said, "Uncle Tally never liked my singing, either," I sighed with relief, and removed my paws from my ringing ears. Aurora did the same, and Mandite laughed, shaking himself. Skipping ahead of us, he continued to follow the path traced by the small trickles of water that once was a great river. Suddenly, to my surprise, he stopped abruptly, staring at the water. I, too, examined the water, but I found nothing peculiar about it – it was just regular water, not tainted, not oddly colored. Mandite slowly resumed his skipping, but kept his eyes on the water, warily. I looked over to Aurora, who too had noticed Mandite's strange behavior.

_[What's wrong with the water?]_ I heard her voice echo in my mind. I quickly scanned over the water with my eyes, and sniffed for any scents. I found nothing.

_[I do not know.]_

_[Do you hear something?]_ Aurora asked me. I tilted head, swiveling my ears in order to try and catch the sound Aurora had been listening too. I came across a soft, thundering noise. It wasn't terribly loud, not even loud enough for Mandite to hear. It was a distant noise.

_[Does it sound like thunder rumbling?] _I asked Aurora, and she nodded. I listened to the noise again. Strange, it seems to be gradually getting louder. I quickly glanced up at the sky – it remained a beautiful blue, clear and free of a single cloud. I hear the thundering, but where was it? What was it? If it is not thunder, then what could this noise be? The noise continued to grow increasingly louder.

_[Lucario,]_ Aurora said nervously.

_[I know – what is happening?]_ I said, understanding what she was trying to say. By now Mandite had completely stopped and stared at a puddle that sat offside the trickling water. He remained still, so incredibly still that it worried me. I ran over and bent over to peer at his face. His eyes were wide, and filled with obvious fear, staring at the puddle. I glanced at the puddle and then noticed something wrong for the first time - there were minuscule ripples running through it. Nothing had made the water disturbed like that. Mandite sucked his breath.

"I want you guys to find high ground – and fast." Mandite may be a youngster, equally matched with a young voice, but right now it was extremely grave and serious. I nodded, and looked over to Aurora.

"Try to climb up the ravine." I said, and she nodded. Mandite looked up at the two of us, and joined our search. The sides of the ravine were sandy and high, making it difficult to climb up. Even worse, the loose sand was being shaken by some unknown force. I was clinging to one of the walls, with the dirt constantly slipping under my feet. If I fell, it would be a dangerous drop – I was high enough off the ground that if I lost my grasp, my neck will be in danger of breaking. Or if I flipped onto my feet in time, the shock of the sudden impact of the ground will shatter my bones, or paralyze me. I strained my muscles to keep a grip. Carefully, I placed my foot higher, my stomach dropping when it slid slightly. I breathed the dusty air created by me trying to scale the wall.

"Hurry!" I looked back to see Mandite, anxiously flapping his wings. A thought struck me as odd – why wasn't Mandite flying? I fell the sand loosen beneath me, so I quickly climbed higher to prevent myself loosing grasp. Steadily and strenuously, I slowly found footings and climbed higher and higher up the ravine. I blinked, the sand particles irritating my eyes. I stretched my arm further, and felt the grassy rim of the ravine. I pulled myself up and onto the cool grass. I panted for a few seconds, before I got onto my feet and called out to the other two down below.

"Just follow my path." I bent down and pointed out where I came from. Aurora glanced at me and then looked down at Mandite. I heard faint voices.

"Mandite, you go first." She said, and gestured towards me. Mandite stepped back.

"No, it's -" All of a sudden, I felt rumbling beneath my feet. The ground was shaking, gradually growing stronger. I looked up to see in the distance the ravine being drowned. Crashing and tumbling through the dried riverbed was the long awaited snow melt, all at once, and all at a wrong time. The thirst-quenching water was coming rapidly as a flash flood, one with a deadly momentum. I felt my stomach drop out of me, and my eyes widened. Aurora and Mandite were still in the ravine – they could drown in a second, or knocked unconscious from the sheer power of the water. Anxiously, I yelled down to them.

"Hurry! It's a flash flood!" But it was too late – Aurora turned to where the thunderous rumbles sourced from. The water was close enough for her to see – she didn't have any time to climb out. I couldn't breathe; Aurora would not even stand a chance against that powerful torrent. It would drown her, and she would die. The whole world seem to move so slowly, only the sound of my heart beating remained as my surroundings were drained deaf. No, no – this can not be happening. I never felt so afraid, but not for myself. My friends were in that ravine, only moments guarding them from the crashing currents. And what could I do? I stood there, helpless – no one here was fast enough to rescue both people. Whitewater rushed towards them, its fingers grabbing greedily. I prepared for it to engulf Mandite and Aurora. I closed my eyes, wishing to stop seeing, to wake up and find it all a dream. But my aura vision kept sight on them. If this was the last time I'll ever see them, I will watch them till the end, as they give their last stand. During those seconds, my mind dwelt on Mandite. He was a good kid, funny and playful, with curious quirks. I wonder what his uncle would have done, but I pushed that aside. I turned my attention to Aurora, her breathtaking, intense eyes flaring defiantly in the face of death. She always had been brave, brave enough to keep a smile on her face in her everlasting hurt. So inquisitive, intelligent, and yet so young. I can not believe that this was the end – it just can not be. I had always shunned her aside, dismissing her, and only thinking on my concerns. Oh, Aurora, I'm so sorry. I only wish that I can take time backwards and make things right. You deserved more than what I gave you – you deserved a better friend. My heart was squeezed tight in a painful clench, aching from the iron grip. What will I do without Aurora? She was my constant friend, always there for me. I'm so sorry, Aurora. I promised I wouldn't let you drown under my watch, and yet here we are. I watched the two through my sight of aura, fear and overwhelming sadness engulfing me like the water about to swallow them.

But my eye caught a sudden shift in aura. Aurora stepped in front of Mandite and suddenly I was blinded by a flash of bright blue. I regained my sight, and saw a hemisphere of pulsating aura running around Aurora and Mandite, shielding them from the tide. I felt my mind go numb – to generate that shield, that must have required a large magnitude of aura, which Aurora luckily had. It would take large amplitude of aura and strength to keep it there. Once a aura manipulator has pushed passed comfortable using limits, it is painful to draw upon more aura that helps one live. How long can Aurora last? I watched her being slowly pushed back by the momentum of the water. Oh, Aurora, please hold on! I was still of no help – the water swiftly moved around the shield, meaning that I can be swept away before even readying myself to reinforce Aurora's barrier. I only can hope for Aurora and Mandite, and hope for the water to slow. But the torrent kept rushing, and through my special sight I saw the thick layer of aura, its smooth curving lights, becoming jagged. The shield was failing, breaking apart. If the water was not going to kill her, then the shattering of her own protection will. It was a deadly game on play. I watched the light become fractured, breaking into obvious segments. No, Aurora, please hold on... I was begging anxiously, my legs shaking from fright. Only if the water would slow down! I watched Aurora turn back to look at Mandite, and glance again at her shield. I knew she was guarding Mandite and herself, but how much longer could she last? The shield was soon going to implode, and it would kill her, and no one will be left to save Mandite from the strong currents. Aurora glanced back at Mandite, and then suddenly shifted her entire shield to face him. Seconds separated Aurora and the voluminous whitewater beast, and she summed her aura back together, and in one catastrophic move, she sent all of it into the ground in front of Mandite. Dirt, mud, and water flew into the air, along with Mandite. The force was powerful enough to send Mandite airborne, saving him from a death by drowning. But what of Aurora? I took a final glimpse of her, one brief second of her standing tall, eyes dancing in magenta flames, one last glimpse before the froth and fluid crashed upon her. I stopped breathing.

"AAAH!!!" Mandite fell onto the ground behind me. He groaned in pain.

"Ow, that hurt!" he mumbled, and rubbed his foot. I gazed into the foaming water. She was gone – gone. I can not believe it. It's too horrible to be true – I cannot live without Aurora, no matter how irritating her "what-ifs" were, no matter how demeaning it was to constantly watch her back for danger. I felt too empty. She cannot be dead, it simply wasn't realistic. My mind shut out all sounds from the world. I didn't want to hear Mandite complain about the impact that saved his life, nor the rushing water that murdered Aurora. I didn't want to hear anything. I shunned the world from my ears, my heart hurting. My breath came in short, ragged gasps. Only less than half an hour an ago we have been laughing with each other. Life changed too fast, too fast for her. Now she's gone. Aurora, I'm so sorry... You only wanted a friend – why couldn't I see that? I should have been nice to you in the first place. You should have been the one who climbed the ravine first. It should have been you who is standing here alive and I drowned. You deserved life. My thoughts, memories, and regrets raced through my mind as I closed my eyes, gritting my teeth, just to keep the world away from me. I did not want to see, feel, or hear anything anymore – I was that furious with myself.

But I cannot shut out telepathy. Through all of the silence, I heard the softest, the faintest sound. It was so weak, but yet I heard it.

_[Lucario!]_ My eyes widened. I knew that voice. Aurora was alive – at the moment. Without thinking, I started running along the bank, trying to come closer to the source of the voice, but the voice called no more. I kept running, though, hoping that Aurora would call out again. She just had to.

"Lucario, what are you doing?!" Mandite cried, running to keep up with me.

"I heard her!" I yelled back, not even bothering to explain our telepathic bond. But Mandite didn't ask anything else, only keeping in stride with mine. Desperately, I called out through my mind.

_[Aurora! Answer me!]_ I anxiously waited for a response. Only silence answered, and my heart filled with worry – did she pass out? _[Aurora!]_

_[Lucario...]_ Aurora's voice was so faint in my mind. She didn't have much more time to hang onto her life. I thought – maybe I could find her if I was only fast enough. If running cannot get me there on time, maybe I can use the water's speed to aid me. I skidded to a stop. Mandite slowed his pace.

"Lucario, what are you doing?!" he said. I regained control of my breathing.

"I'm going in after her." I explained, and prepared to spring into the froth and spray. I heard Mandite call out to me.

"There must be another way!" Mandite cried, "What are you, crazy?!"

"Yes!" I didn't care how I answered the question. I leaped off the bank, and dove into the freezing water.


	7. Chapter 7

I plunged through the froth, the foam as white and as bitterly freezing as the snow it had melted from. Although it was warm enough to be in liquid form, the water was unbearably cold. But, flowing deep underneath the tumbling surface, I gritted my teeth and pulled myself forward; if the water was cold enough to freeze someone to death within less than a half an hour, then I needed to find Aurora and get her out fast. I had my eyes sealed, peering through the dark through aura. This way, it would be easier to find Aurora, who was a very opaque figure of the blue energy. The problem was that her sacrifice left her aura strewn all over in the current. Seeing soft, rippling veils of aura confused me. The current continued its efforts to suffocate me, tossing my body to and fro. I am lucky to be an excellent swimmer – I had a majority of my motions in control. I continued to pull myself in forward motion, executing quick dodges to avoid painful collisions with the walls of the river. Unlike most people, I allowed the current to guide me to some extent, not thinking to fight against it. I would waste my energy that way, and would have none to spare in an effort to rise to the surface and breathe. I am also lucky to be an efficient user of oxygen – I do not have to waste so much time gulping for air. I thought to myself – how much longer could I last in the water before the cold seizes my life? I guessed a few more minutes – I just hoped I did not over-estimate.

Now I sense that the river was losing momentum – the flash flood was finally slowing down. More factors began to turn in my favor; I started to see traces of stronger aura, not like the wisps floating around. The visible blue energy was growing thick, the sign of its source in a location close by. I was just worried that aura may be leaking from Aurora – the only time aura drifts away without being forced is when the body it inhabits passes away. Fear engulfed me, a feeling so great that my skin could not feel the biting cold. I swerved to the right, barely skimming a branch, sharp enough to impale me. I am glad those deadly arms have not caught Aurora.

On and on I flew, constantly calculating the time spent underwater. I decided it was finally time for a breath of fresh air – my lungs began to burn from being deprived of oxygen. I dove down deeper until I reached the eroding riverbed, and pushed off from it in one, powerful bound. I broke the surface, flying over the froth and tumbling spray for a few brief seconds before plummeting back down into the fast paced, dark river. My strength was renewed, but my resistance to the freeze not so. I hoped that I will not contract hypothermia, but I definitely knew that, if still alive, Aurora is suffering major heat loss. Each and every second was spent on swimming farther and farther, searching for Aurora. How much time do I have left? By now, I felt tired and have stopped shivering. Not good; I was beginning to succumb to hypothermia. But I didn't want to give up. Aurora was out there, somewhere – she had to be alive. I felt my muscles begin to falter, my mind weakening. Am I dying? No – I forced myself awake. Suddenly, my face bumped into something. It was as hard as a stone, but the surface was soft, the texture like a wet cloth. And beyond this cloth was a great source of warmth. This warmth spread from the side of the cheek that touched it throughout my entire body to the very tips of my claws. Instantly, I reached out and clutched it to my side. I recognized what it was – it was Mandite's armor and sword, bundled up in his special cape. It must have been swooped off when Aurora was washed down. His living sword, Galaxia, brimming with seething fire, carried on through brisk, cold torrents. This fire gave me the warmth to stay alive, and a brand new hope. I kept it close, regaining balance of my temperature with this living brand of fire. Warmth was no longer an issue for me, but I still had to keep track of time – Aurora did not this to protect her. I quickly swam forth, darting around debris that were washed by the flash flood. I see a heavy concentration of aura; is that – wait, no; that's just another thick leak of aura. But, could that be -? Yet again, I am disappointed. I swoop my head this way and that to capture a wider view of the water. I have swam as fast as I could along with the speed of the flash flood, and Aurora only have been drifting along – should I have not caught up to her by now?

I spot something new – faint waves of pulsing aura, the very characteristic of a living being. I felt my heart skip one, two beats, being so hopeful. This could be it, this could be Aurora! Not only that, she could still be alive. Only waves come from the living. I eagerly swam forth, and there, to the right of my peripheral vision, was a figure with wave patterns I only recognize as Aurora. In a burst of renewed energy, I pulled myself forward. From observations, Aurora was unconscious – she was making no effort to swim, the water only toying with her drifting figure. And yet, she was alive. I carefully wrap an arm around her stomach and held her and Mandite's bundle securely to my body on one side, and used my free arm to swim. I was becoming more chilled by the second – I have sacrificed my warmth to Aurora, being that she obviously needed it more than I. My duty now was to get us both out of the river alive. I searched for a suitable place with sufficient holding to ensure an easy escape from the water's velocity. I searched around – there is one. I made my way over, but with me now swimming with my weight and Aurora's, I couldn't make it on time. I watched it pass from my reach. But I cannot wait for another bank like that – it might be my last chance, our last chance at survival. In tremendous effort, I strained my muscles to swim back to the bank. Immediately, my limbs were pained. To fight against the current with heavy drag and the threat of loosing grasp of Aurora was the most difficult challenge I have ever faced. But I did not think about how hard it was to swim, nor how painful my muscles felt – my mind was set on clear cut determination. Aurora's life was depending on me, and I cannot let little things like that get in the way of her life. Slowly, but surely, I shortened the distance between me and the shore. Gasping and panting, I paddled with one arm and two legs towards the bank. But in one second, I felt an intense, sharp pain bolt up my entire left leg, and I was jerked from my concentration. I began to slip away from the goal I had worked so hard to get to. In desperation, I tried to kick, but my energy was burned out. Anxiously, I waited to swim, keeping myself afloat, and making sure Aurora did not slip away from me, holding her tight. Whimpering pitifully, with me in such a vulnerable state with the lives of us two in my paws, I prayed for a miracle. Aurora had to live.

I was thinking bitterly about my pulled limb muscle when my attention was abruptly set off course to a new source of pain – something caught tight to my arm, and was pulling on it fiercely. I yelped from surprise and tried to push away from it.

"HOLD ON, IDIOT!" I quickly looked up to see a round figure holding tight to my elbow. Mandite began to walk backwards, using all his might to try and pull us out. If I ever had doubts relating to the thought of Mandite being only a mere child, they no longer exist; Mandite was supernaturally strong, considering his age and size. His face was pinched as he strained to free us from the the tight bounds that the river kept around me and Aurora. Out of desperation, I kicked my legs, despite my aching left hind limb. If there was a time to swim my heart out, it was now. All three of us were in danger of being sucked into the raging river, and we would all drown for sure. This was the most frightening game of tug-of-war I have ever participated in – now I know how the rope feels. Mandite relaxed for a brief moment, letting himself slide so dangerously close to the rim of the bank, and I panicked. But Mandite, so unnaturally calm and persistent, gave a final tug, one supreme force of power, that threw us clean out of the water. I tumbled out onto the compacted dirt, and laid Aurora gently by my side. I was exhausted, my entire body aching from working far past my physical limitations. I forced myself not to collapse in a wet heap of fur, and began to address my concerns. I shook off what moisture I can from my fur, so the oncoming evening chill will not strike a blow against me. After spraying the ground and Mandite with the access water, I acknowledged once again the old fear that got me into the river in the first place. I leaned over Aurora's limp body.

_[Aurora?]_ I anxiously waited for an answer. None came.

_[Aurora!]_ Nervously, I brought out a paw, and searched for a pulse around her throat. I rested it on a slowly pulsing artery. I leaned closer to Aurora's expressionless face, her eyes serenely closed, and listened for breathing. No rasping was heard, not even a gasp – I didn't even feel a puff of air on my cheek, being so intent on finding signs of life. It occurred to me that her lungs must be waterlogged. Gingerly, I pressed on the region of her stomach, where I guessed her diaphragm was. No response. I tried several more times, each time with fruitless results.

_[Aurora!]_ I cried out, shaking her slightly by the shoulders. Suddenly, Aurora's eyes flung open, and she bent over to her side and vomited out her retained water. Coughing and sputtering, her body remained rigid and hunched. Sighing with relief, I wrapped my arm around her shaking shoulders, and I realized that she was still so cold, despite Galaxia pressed against her side. Gently, I pushed her body back onto the ground.

_[Rest,]_ I told her, _[and take deep breaths. Are you all right?]_ Aurora's chest heaved in uneven breaths, shuddering each time. She looked into my eyes with a faltering gaze, the fire dying down low.

_[Lucario,]_ she said weakly, _[I am so cold...]_

_[I know.]_ I replied, brushing her arm with a paw. She was still wet, and an easy target for another threat from low temperatures. _[Aurora, you need to dry yourself, or you will get colder – Aurora?] _Aurora's eyes were closing slowly.

_[I'm so tired...]_ She said, in a voice incredibly weak – a feeble, dying voice I was begging to the whole world not to hear from her.

_[Aurora, you have to stay awake!]_ I told her anxiously, _[If you fall asleep, you will die.]_ Aurora only moaned, and was gradually losing strength to hold her head facing up. She clenched her teeth in pain, and then relaxed.

_[Lucario,] _she said. I held her paw with both of mine, leaning so close to her that our noses were only an inch apart, desperately trying to hear every breath she inhales.

_[Yes?]_

_[I -]_ her voice faltered, and in obvious effort, she tried again, _[I just want to...] _She shuddered, and the pulse I felt in the wrist of the paw I was holding began to flutter in uneven beats. My own heart started to race – Aurora can't be dying right after I saved her from drowning.

_[Aurora,]_ I cried out to her through my mind, _[stay with me! Wake up!]_ But the female's pulse slowed its flight, beating randomly.

_[Please!]_ I was being ripped and torn from my own feelings of guilt and loss, each painful tear causing me to wince. I never knew that feelings could actually hurt physically. There was a sharp, stabbing pain in my chest.

Even worse, the vein that throbbed in Aurora's wrist no longer pulsed.

_[Aurora!]_ In disbelief, I fell back onto my haunches, panting with my eyes open wide. I shook my head, but I couldn't feel the reality of it all sinking in. She's gone – again.

"What's going on?" Mandite walked over and saw Aurora laying still on the ground, "Oh." He quietly crept next to me, and sat down. Together we sat, our minds numb from its failure to acknowledge Aurora's passing. We sat there in vigil, for who knows how long.

"Wait a second." Mandite suddenly sat up and bounded over to Aurora's body. His hand darted around Aurora's neck for a pulse. But I knew that there was none – I only watched him search in vain. Mandite frowned, and looked up at me.

"You're gonna have to forgive me for this." he said, and I blinked back, confused. Mandite lifted Aurora up by the scruff of her neck, and in a flash, threw a hard fist into her stomach. I cried out in shock, and I rushed over to her body. Mandite quickly jumped out of the way.

"What did you do?!" I yelled at him, but Mandite only looked at me with his pale green eyes wide, and pointed to something behind me. I whipped around to look at Aurora's body, at her gentle face.

To see thin slits of magenta flames slowly opening. I turned back to Mandite, who only shrugged and gestured to Aurora. As I said, he was a good kid. He plodded over to his lumpy pile of belongings, and I turned back and knelt next to Aurora, whose eyes were now half open. She had came back from the dead, practically. For a few seconds, we just sat there, staring at each other, neither of us not knowing what to say. Then, to my own surprise, I reached out and gently pulled Aurora to close to me, wrapping my shaking arms around her thin body. And I held her, making sure that she was actually there with me. Sure enough, her shoulders were rising and falling evenly, and I felt her breath tickling my cheek. My eyes started to sting from tears of relief and utter joy, but I managed to force them back. I breathed deeply, making sure my hold was firm, but gentle. I closed my eyes, feeling the very proof that she was alive, and still with me.

_[I thought I lost you.]_ I managed to say to her. Aurora shifted slightly, and laid her head on my shoulder, her body relaxed.

_[So did I.]_ she said softly, and sighed. My heart brushed its wings in content.

"Well!" I was snapped out of my trance to see Mandite standing there awkwardly with a funny look on his face. In turn, I looked away uncomfortably, and my face became hot. I glanced at Aurora uneasily, and she just laughed weakly, only making my face become more fevered. It is a good thing that she needed the warmth. Mandite quickly glanced around at the darkening sky.

"Let's go set up camp, shall we?"

~*~

We had staked our temporary claim by the bank of the now smooth-flowing, obsidian river, surrounded by stalks of grass blades and a single, white and gnarled tree, its bark stripped off long ago, leaving its ebony skin bare. Aurora sat inside a protective nook, semi-circled by the system of knobbly roots, aged knees that matched with this ancient tree. I glanced back down on the campfire I was trying to start, using flint stones to attempt to light the dried grass. Mandite was currently searching for more proper firewood, so it was just me and Aurora in that little clearing. I looked back up at her, my attention caught by her sneeze. She was still damp, but at least not soaked to her skin. Ever since Mandite jump-started her heart back up, Aurora was regaining much of her old personality. Her eyes right now were sparkling, winking brightly, the brand of fire that replaced the campfire at the moment. I smiled, a little bit, still relieved and overjoyed that she was alive. She smiled back and sneezed again.

"We will have the fire started soon, don't worry." I reassured Aurora. Her laugh was first to answer, light and bouncy.

"I don't have to." she replied, leaning against the tree with her arms wrapped loosely around her body. She shivered, brushing her blue fur with her crossed paws, tail tucked around her feet. I smiled again, watching her for another moment – she was bedraggled, but kept her amazing, wild beauty somehow. I blinked and looked down at the pile of grass, and quickly sliced the stones against each other. A spark flew and landed on the yellow, dried vegetation and ignited a tiny flame. I bent down closer and blew on it lightly, and the flame spread, engulfing the whole stack. I stepped back to sit next to Aurora.

"I'm back!" a voice sang out, and I turned to see the blue puffball appear through a thicket of prairie carrying dead branches three times as long as he was, one stacked on top of another. The stack wobbled slightly, but remained on his head - another little surprise for me. Mandite tipped his body slightly and let the branches fall over onto the ground, and then tossed a few into the feeble fire. Smiling in self-satisfaction, he brushed himself off and then squinted at Aurora.

"You're still wet." he observed, and walked over to his bundle of possessions that was laying next to the fire. He unraveled his cape and flung it out, its creases unfurling into smooth material. Mandite let it settle back down, and skipped right over to the two of us, his cape flapping like a little flag. Odd, his cape looked much larger a few moments ago. Mandite stopped right in front of Aurora, who looked up.

"Stand please." he said, gesturing for her to rise up. I stood up and bent down to help her stand. Aurora lost much of her aura to her protective barrier back in the ravine, and needed to regenerate, so she cannot walk, let alone stand. I had to carry her over here, due to her inability to move. Aurora steadied herself against my body, her knees buckling frequently, each time she fell my arms caught her. On wobbly, slender black legs, and an arm resting against the tree, another held tight by mine, Aurora stood, seemingly strong in her weak state. Mandite held up his cape to the both of us.

"Now," he said, waving the cloth around, "I am going to make all the water disappear. Ready?" Aurora nodded, and Mandite started to swing his cape.

"On the count of three," he said, still swinging the cape, "One, two, THREE!" Mandite hurled the cape over Aurora, and as quickly as he covered her he swiped it off. Spinning the cloth around over his head, he bowed and flung it out.

"Tah dah!" he said. To my surprise, water droplets showered out from the fringes of the cape and onto the fire behind him, the flame died instantly with a long hiss.

"Mandite!" I cried out in exasperation. Mandite whipped around, and stared at the small wisps of smoke rising from the once existent fire.

"Oops." He said, grinning sheepishly. I sighed – that fire took effort to start.

"At least I'm dry." Aurora said, sitting back down again and looking mildly at her dry coat, "But the ground is really cold." I smiled and nodded my head, agreeing with her. Mandite glanced at me and then at the pitiful smoke.

"I'll restart the fire." He said, and reached for his sheathed sword, pushing in more wood with his feet. His hands reached it, and quickly flipped it into a comfortable hold. He drew it from its coverage, the blade materializing in an array of dazzling lights.

"You might want to step back a little, Lucario." He said, and I obeyed, retreating to Aurora's side. Mandite relaxed, holding his blade with both hands positioned close to the ground in front of him, eyes closed. Then, he quickly sucked in his breath and leaped high into the air, Galaxia encircled with whipping fire; swinging the sword in one smooth stroke, the flame flew off the metal in an arc, and smashed into the campfire with a small explosion. Quickly, I covered my eyes to protect them from being blinded. Mandite landed evenly on the ground, and sheathed his deadly blade once more.

"Well," he sighed, "that was easy." He plopped down next to his pile of armor and settled his weapon next to it, patting it before cheerfully remarking,

"Wow, the ground _is_ cold!" He looked at us, one half of his face lit by the fire, one covered by darkness – one eye glowing a monotone amber, the other pale-green with a pupil. It's moments like these that remind me how strange of a creature Mandite was.

"Aurora shouldn't be sitting on the ground if her body temperature is low." He continued, his nerving hybrid gaze deterring my concentration. I blinked.

"Where else could she sit, in the tree?" I pointed out, and Mandite hummed.

"Good point," he thought, "what would you do?" It was my turn to think, and think I did. If the ground was too cold, where else could she sit?

"Here." I said, turning to Aurora. She looked up at me, confused, but I paid no mind. Instead, I bent down and wrapped my arms underneath her body. Without thinking, I sat down and cradled her in my lap. Aurora blinked in surprise.

_[You don't have to do that.]_ she said privately to me.

_[I do not want you to get cold again.]_ I replied softly, smiling at her reassuringly. She smiled back, leaning her head against my chest.

"Arrgh! I am tired!" Mandite yawned, stretching so far that he fell over onto his back. Aurora chuckled from the funny sight, and Mandite bolted himself upright.

"We had a long day today, don't 'ya think?" he yawned again. I looked at the blue puffball, and then at his possessions, thinking about their distinct traits. I had several questions to ask him that I would like answered. Perhaps now was a good time – just a few stories before saying good night.

"Mandite?" I called out to him.

"Hmm?" He replied, wiggling his purple feet, and flapping his wings.

"How does your cape," I tried to find the right word to describe what had happened with the water incident, "transport water?" Mandite laughed.

"Seriously, I don't exactly know _how_," he grinned, "but I know what happens." I nodded to let him know he can continue on with his explanation. I felt Aurora's body shift eagerly, and I couldn't help but smile in amusement; her mind was always curious.

"This cape is a special cape, obviously." he started, holding it out for us to see, "It is made of a special fabric that allows it to morph into suitable sizes. I don't know how Uncle Tally got it, but he did. He said that when I grow bigger, I wouldn't need a new cape 'cuz this one will adjust to my size. I could wear it, or use it to cover my entire body – like this." Mandite demonstrated, his voice muffled by the cloth. He briskly took it off and continued.

"But that's not the coolest part; the coolest part of this cape is that it can briefly allow the user to slip through dimensions on will – that is why it is called a Dimensional Cape. It takes a lot of mind power, but I got the hang of it." Mandite said, giving us a quick grin, "The cape will take the user into another dimension, but will reappear back. As shown earlier, I forced the cape to take the water from Aurora's fur, slip it through another dimension, and back into this one! Except I messed up with the landing – the landing is always difficult." His voice drifted off and he wiggled his feet some more. I was confused – a cape that allowed you to slip through dimensions for a brief instant? It seemed impossible, for the only two things I knew that had slipped between worlds was Giratina and Mandite himself. The whole matter of an entirely different world stung my mind again, and grudgingly, I forced it aside. I replaced my thoughts of dimensions with the memory of Mandite punching Aurora in the stomach, and starting her heart up again. How did he know how to do that? How does he know such a generous amount of knowledge about medics?

"Who taught you to be a doctor?" Aurora had gotten to the question first. Mandite blinked and looked at his feet thoughtfully, the shaded region of his face lit by the bright green glow of his luminescent eye.

"Well," he sighed, "I am not a doctor, but a soldier has to learn these things, just in case something bad happens. A knight faces many challenges, and may struggle through situations that require medical knowledge – so what good is a knight that has no one around to heal him? That's why Uncle Tally taught me all that stuff. He's a knight, you know." I began to wonder about this "Uncle Tally", but by judging the way Mandite looked a little pained, I guess asking about his uncle would be an inconsiderate move. Instead, I asked,

"Are you a knight, too?" Mandite laughed and scratched the back of his head.

"Not officially," he said, "but Uncle Tally said I was as good as one." Silently, I agreed with this uncle, wherever he may be. Mandite was a strong, and good-willed character, and would make an excellent and unique warrior. Again, I resisted the impulse to ask about Uncle Tally. Mandite yawned another time, his mouth opening wide. His eyes were drooped from exhaustion.

"Night, y'all." We wished him a good night in return, and Mandite pulled his cape over his head in a final flourish before breathing evenly in peaceful sleep. Aurora stirred in my arms, and I looked down at her.

_[I want to know who's this "Uncle Tally".]_ Aurora spoke, her voice echoing in my mind. I nodded in agreement.

_[So do I, but he seems a little uncomfortable about it.]_ I replied, and Aurora sighed, closing her eyes and leaned back against my body.

_[But still, it bothers me.]_ I only chuckled in response, and patted her shoulder in comfort. It struck me as odd that I was now being openly comforting, when just earlier today I would have found it awkward. Aurora seemed to notice this change.

_[Why are you being nice to me?]_ I blinked in surprise.

_[Was I always mean to you?]_ Aurora looked taken aback and hastily replied.

_[I mean today you are... More...]_ Aurora's voice trailed off, not knowing how to describe my change. I do not blame her, for I do not know this reason myself. We sat there in silence, for a while, staring at each other. Aurora cleared her throat and spoke.

_[Thanks for saving my life.]_ she said softly, and I shook my head.

_[You wanted to know what a master would do if his apprentice died.]_ I replied, gently, reaching out to hold one of her paws. Aurora snorted and smiled.

_[Yeah, I did – except I didn't die.]_

_[Thank goodness you didn't, too.]_ I said, and gazed back down at Aurora's serene face. Some powerful emotion stirred my heart, arousing the old, fluttery feelings. My cheeks flushed with warmth, and I looked away uncomfortably, embarrassed.

_[No, thank you.]_ Aurora reached up and gently pressed her muzzle under my chin. I blinked, at first not registering any feeling, but then my heart went soaring high, and I felt as though as I was airborne. But I'm here, perfectly sitting on the ground with Aurora smiling up at me, the fire in her eyes dancing in harmonious, wild grace. That moment seemed to last for hours, maybe even days, with just the two of us gazing deeply into each others eyes. Finally Aurora spoke.

_[Can I sleep now?]_ Earlier, I was afraid of Aurora drifting off to sleep, but now I suppose that she was warm enough. She waited patiently for a response.

_[Sure,]_ I confirmed, and she happily sank down into my lap, gently nuzzling my stomach with her nose. Strangely, I did not reject to this – instead, I enjoyed it. I tenderly brushed the side of her cheek.

_[Good night, Aurora.] _I whispered to her through my mind.

_[Sleep well, Lucario.]_ she replied, and closed her eyes in content, her breathing becoming slow and even. I sat there, with my heart swelling with – I'm still not sure what it is. But staring at the campfire with Aurora in my arms brought back an old memory, one that had been carefully tucked away in the far recesses of my mind. It felt like a deja vu, almost like I have seen this scene before. I tugged on the memory, trying to bring it back. Unlike most other attempts, this one proved to be successful.

~*~

It was evening, and I could hear the rhythmic crashing of the surf on the sand. It was peaceful, and I was staring into the fire, hypnotized by the flashing light. On the other side of the wall of flame were two lucarios, one male, one female – I recognized them as my parents. They sat together, leaning against each other, with my father rocking them slightly with the arm wrapped around my mother. The band of bright blue light that encircled his wrist was flashing, catching my attention. Earlier that day, I had raced a sharpeedo, and escaped its jaws of death successfully. It was difficult, but I had passed the test, something my brother had not. My parents were overjoyed with my triumph, and at that moment were so content – I have never seen them so comfortable as then. I hear my father murmur.

"I love you." and heard my mother respond with the same three words. I remember thinking, what could that mean?

"Mama?" I asked.

"What is it, Riolu?" she said patiently.

"What's 'love'?" My parents chuckle.

"It's what bonds families together." my father said.

"It's what bonds us together." my mother said. But I still had my head cocked to one side, not understanding. My father laughs.

"It's hard to explain, son," he tells me, "Maybe one day you will understand, but right now you are too young."

"As for now," my mother continued, "love is the affection for something or someone, like how you like to eat finneons." I bobbed my head up and down, thinking about them. I felt my memory grow hazy, as my attention faded back into the current time.

~*~

I reopened my eyes, blinking, and started realizing a multitude of questions. Was all of the times that I had felt stirrings and beatings of my heart love? Was love that joyous feeling? Is it that what it was? Maybe it was, but I still was unsure of myself. I glanced back down at Aurora, her body curled against mine, and sighed. It is true I feel differently about her than how I feel about Mandite. Mandite is a good friend, and so is Aurora. So why do I feel so different, so pleasurably odd when I am around Aurora? It seems as though I can't keep my eyes off of her. It is true that I feel differently about her than I had several years before, but why? I decided to try something. I bent down and pressed my muzzle gently into Aurora's cheek, and so softly I murmured,

"I love you."

And I like the sound of that.

* * *

**This is the first time I wrote like this, the very first. I can't help but feel proud of Lucario. Just to let readers know that I never had a relationship before, so my writing may come as inexperienced. If you have an issue with this, please let me know. **

**Thanks.**

**P.S. I wrote the ending of this chapter while listening to "You and Me" by Lifehouse. It's a surprisingly good match to this story, and I suggest you reading this chapter while playing that song in the background. It's such a beautiful song!  
**


	8. Chapter 8

By the time Aurora had fully recovered her aura loss, we had been traveling for a week. I was walking at the front, listening to Aurora and Mandite tell stories and laugh. Aurora... Now that I knew that I loved her, I seemed to be getting myself into more awkward moments. The situation is not really the same, anymore – I am always thinking about her. What am I to her? Am I like a guardian, an older brother, or did she feel the same way about me? I pushed pass some undergrowth, clearing a path for me to walk through. Beyond it, I could smell the fresh scent of wildflowers – we would be out of the forest, soon; and good riddance.

"Watch out!" I quickly turned around to see Mandite flying towards me with a vine clasped in his hands. Perhaps he warned me too late; Mandite crashed into me in a painful collision, and we both tumbled onto the forest floor. I am lucky that he decided he did not want to wear his mask today, or else my face would hurt much more than it did, now. Groaning, I sat up, and rubbed my throbbing cheek.

"Oops, sorry." Mandite smiled sheepishly, tapping his hands together. I sighed, not knowing what to say now. Mandite, despite being so nimble and quick, can also be rather clumsy, leaving him – and in most cases – and me in a mess. This, in turn, makes me feel just as clumsy, leaving my face flushed and humiliated. Somehow, if Aurora ever got in the situation, she would accept it naturally, as if it did not bother her; I admire that she can still hold her head high in those times. I got to me feet, took Mandite by his arms, and set him upright.

"Thanks, dude." Mandite flourished his wings, and like a little, energetic beast, he bounded forward.

"Last one to the end of the forest is a rotten egg!" he called back to us. I smiled to myself, ready to take his challenge.

"But you got a head start!" Aurora shouted from behind me. I heard Mandite blow a raspberry off in the distance. She only chuckled, shaking her head as she slowly started to walk. I managed to halt myself, wondering why she wasn't taking flight – she loved to run, so why not now? I glanced over to her to see her roll her eyes.

"I bet he didn't see the sinkhole." she said to me.

"What sinkhole?" I asked, curious. All of a sudden, we heard Mandite yelp, followed by the sound of crashing branches and leaves.

"That one," Aurora said, and started leaping over underbrush, "now, let's go see what's Mandite up to." I numbly followed, amazed by how much knowledge Aurora had of the forest – it practically stuns me. After passing under several fallen trees, moss encrusting their bark, around dense patches of fern, and over rock formations, we finally came upon a gaping, dark hole in the ground. It was not terribly large, but large enough to fit Mandite, who was gazing glumly up at us as we peered over the edge of it.

"Hey guys," he called up, "how 'bout a lift?" The sides were wet, slippery to the touch. Lacking claws, aside the thorns on his wings, Mandite had no way to climb out. Mandite had wings, so did he really need to climb out? Aurora smiled and called back down to him.

"Why don't you use your little wings and flap yourself back up, then?" Mandite lifted his wings and glanced at them with a peculiar uncertainty. They were not very large, nor they looked strongly developed either, under my judgment; I started to wonder if they really could fly. Yes, he had shown us that he could soar, but in the ravine so many days ago, when the flash flood was racing towards him, he had not flown. Mandite seemed to be lost for words, gazing off in a upset trance. Then, his eyes fixed on Aurora and he pouted, his lost daze gone.

"But I got a boo-boo." he whined, pretending to rub a sore arm. Knowing that Mandite was a tough child, I knew he was faking it, but at least it made sense – the drop onto the cold, hard stone seemed to be painful. Aurora knew this as well, but she took the bait anyways. With Mandite inside the cavity within the ground, the sinkhole seemed larger than it actually is, providing the fact Mandite is rather short. However, with Aurora reaching her arm down to full stretch, Mandite safely clambered out after hopping a bit. He shook himself off, and then looked at us, blinking. What was he thinking now? Mandite looked and his arms.

"Can I have my armor, please?" he said, pompously. Aurora handed him the bundle of metal wrapped in his cape, and Mandite took it with a relish. He unwrapped his belongings, and carefully adorned himself in his shoulder plates, pointed shoes, white gloves, and, with uppermost pride, his mask. He sighed, and tossed Aurora his cloak.

"Keep that, will you?" Aurora nodded, and Mandite rubbed his now gloved hands together. He looks so serious in his armor, making it hard to imagine that this warrior was the same person as Mandite.

"Bye bye!" he piped, and dashed off, the brush of wind hitting our faces as he sped away. Aurora shook her head, and laughed. Instead of pursuing him in the path he took, Aurora gave a great leap and disappeared into the trees, leaving me alone. Something in my heart wanted to follow Aurora, but I was never really good at climbing trees. I am not planning to have my back broken, or simply making a fool of myself – I think I will just follow Mandite. I closed my eyes, tensed my muscles slightly and crouched. Breathe in, breathe out – GO. I sprang forward and started to close the long gap between me and Mandite. My feet were at once nimble and carefully placed – running on uneven terrain is not for the dull minded. If one foot is misplaced, I might end up snapping it in two – thinking is even more critical when the ground is a blur beneath me, making it hard to see footholds. A small creek was up ahead, the stones shining with a watery glaze, possessing an obvious chance to trip someone. I glanced at a tree that stood next to this trickling water source, and planned a route. I pushed off the ground, rotated my body so that the bottom of my feet made a firm stand on the tree, and lunged off of that, landing on the other side. I continued my quick velocity, leaves flying up around my legs in a flurry. Beyond the growth of juvenile saplings, I saw the sun's rays, each strand reaching into the forest, penetrating the dark. The way the broken light was gliding through the patches of leaves, lighting them in a bright, rich green, was amazing. Suddenly, I was cast in shadow, the light blocked out briefly by a silhouette streaking overhead. I smiled, and urged myself to pick up the pace – I had caught up to Aurora. With the edge of the forest growing closer and closer, I felt the thrill of finally being in open air. I cleared the last patch of undergrowth and leaped out onto the waving grass. Light brilliantly shone all around, the sun warm on my back.

"Look out!" I didn't have time to completely turn around, before something struck me hard in my side and sent me tumbling. I made one last flip, before I landed on my back in the grass. Ah – my shoulder and side feel bruised. I sat up, the breathe knocked clean out of me, and raised a paw to feel my throbbing head.

"Lucario!" I looked up to see Aurora sliding to a stop in front of me. She knelt and looked at me in the eye, her own pinched in concern.

"I'm really sorry, Lucario," she apologized, and gently touched my shoulder with her paw, "are you okay?" Wincing, and finally able to breathe again, I answered in a winded voice,

"Yes, I am fine." Groaning, I managed to stand, shaking. I growled softly, not liking the way my body was complaining; I straightened my posture. Aurora was peering at me with a guilty look in her flaming eyes.

"I really didn't meant to run into you, Lucario." she said quietly, "Are you hurt?" I blinked, and opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. I couldn't speak, so I cleared my throat.

"I am fine Aurora," I told her, "there's nothing to feel sorry about." Aurora didn't look so reassured, so I reached out and rested my paw on her shoulder and smiled.

"Honestly, I am fine." Aurora glanced away, and nodded, looking a little uncomfortable. Flushing, I took my paw back – did I intrude her personal space? She now probably thinks that I am some mentally disturbed, inconsiderate pokemon. Biting my tongue, I turned away, thinking bitterly.

"Took you guys long enough! Where have you two been?" We both raised our heads to look at an impatient Mandite, his arms crossed and eyes glaring beneath a sharp angle in his mask, the very picture of someone with authority. It's still bizarre that this was only a seven year old. Not knowing what to say, I only shrugged.

"I thought so." Mandite replied, punctuating his sentence with a well-defined period. Something behind him caught my eye, and I switched my focus point to see what it was. Towering into the sky, its blue rugged slopes were partially covered by clouds, being so high. Although its peak lay hidden in mist, its sacred point hidden from commoners' view, the grand mountain still had a powerful, overwhelming effect. Standing tall and strong, this lone mountain looked more majestic than any I have ever seen. My mind stirred with wonder and awe – I only have dreamed of seeing what lay before me now. It is the one, holy mountain out of all of Sinnoh region my parents had always talked about. The regal landmark that stood towering over us all, surrounded by rich, dense plains, was Mt. Coronet, home of Spear Pillar, and home of the deities. I knew that this had to be that mountain – there was no others like it. It stands alone, its holy peak covered by clouds, towering above everything. This had to be Mt. Coronet.

"Lucario..." Aurora gasped.

"What, do I have something on my mask?" Mandite touched his mask, and then turned around. Standing perfectly still as the mountain, Mandite gazed upon the natural structure. Finally, he drew out a long whistle.

"That's one big mountain." I nodded in silence. We all stood there, staring at Mt. Coronet. I was thinking about climbing up this mountain to the peak where Spear Pillar was, but considering the size and the residence of Spear Pillar, I decided I would not interfere. Instead, I would relish this moment.

"Hey, what's that?" Mandite moved past me and stood in front of a peculiar object, scrutinizing it with his sharp eyes. I heard him gasp.

"I don't believe it." he picked it up and held it up in the sun. The rays caught the material of the object, and an array of brilliant rainbow lights flashed all around, the beauty of it all hurting my eyes. It seemed to be constructed of the finest ice, or a beautiful gem. Mandite stood, mesmerized by the new object.

"But it is," he whispered, "no one else can blow crystal like this – but how?" His voice trailed off. I started to wonder what he was mumbling about.

"What is that?" Aurora asked from behind me. Mandite turned around, lowering the object from his gaze with a blank stare.

"It's a vase," he said, "a vase made by the best glass-blower I have ever known." Something in my mind clicked – if this was made by a glass-blower he had known before, that meant this person was from Mandite's world.

"It could have been made by another glass-blower." I said, my nerves racing at the thought of more intrusions from an alien world.

"No one," Mandite said sharply, shaking the vase, "embroiders an 'A' on their work like he does!" I felt taken aback, rather shocked by Mandite's defensive reply. His eyes glowed a brighter yellow, and then, breathing deeply, Mandite settled down. Recovering my wits, I asked a question, trying to stay calm and slow.

"Are you so sure?" Mandite nodded, staring at the vase.

"I have no doubt," he said, his voice made even grimmer behind his mask, "but I wonder how it got all the way here?"

"Are you absolutely sure that you know this person?" It was Aurora's turn to ask a question, and with relief, I allowed her.

"Oh, I know him all right." Mandite huffed, "He was Uncle Tally's best friend. He gave me a candy jar that he had made himself so I can put candy in it – that's probably why I remember him so well." Mandite peered through the neck of the vase with one eye squeezed shut. I looked too, and saw through the intricate patterns of transparent vines, was something neatly rolled. Apparently, Mandite spotted it too, for he tipped the mouth of the vase on his hand, and shook it slightly. The thing fell out onto his open hand – it was a piece of paper. He placed the vase aside on the grass, and unfurled the note.

"It's to Uncle Tally." he said, his voice somewhat deflated. His eyes began to flick from side to side quickly, scanning the letter over. My mind pondered something – if this was to Mandite's uncle, then wouldn't it have been delivered to his home?

"Oh, wow." Mandite breathed.

"What's wrong?" Aurora asked, looking at Mandite with her eyes flaring with magenta concern. Mandite sucked in his breath.

"Well," he said slowly, thinking of how to word his explanation, "this guy vanished a while ago – thought to have been dead somewhere out in space – but this letter was written _after_ he vanished." I couldn't help but feel slightly frightened by Mandite's words. Vanished? That word could mean so many things – and relate to so many dangers. At that moment, I realized that something dangerous was festering in Mandite's world, and slowly leaking into ours. I blinked, fear widening my eyes. This was no Mandite's "monster-under-the-bed" story – this was the whole world that is under threat. A rectangular piece of paper fell from the letter and onto the grass. Mandite looked down, and stopped to stare at it for a long time. I, too, looked over to see what it was. Once my eyes lit on that small rectangle, I felt surprised. On it was a picture of a tall, silver, creature with large ears – it is similar to a pachirisu, but with circular ears and long noses. I could tell from its facial features that it was a male, and quite a neatly groomed one, too. He was smiling, his golden eyes flashing beneath a black hat, wrapped in a matching cloak, enshrouding him with a mysterious, and laid back impression. In his arms held a baby version of him – I guess it was his son. Mandite reached out, picked up the picture, and carefully placed it back in the vase with the letter.

"Who was that?" Aurora asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. Mandite looked up quickly, and remained silent for a few seconds.

"That's the glass-blower." he finally said, and asked for his cape. Aurora silently handed it to him, which Mandite carefully pressed the vase into - the cloth's surface rippled like a disturbed lake around the masterpiece, and it was gone. As quickly as it went, Mandite threw his cape over his body, which settled comfortably with his armor.

"I think we had enough sightseeing." he said, and walked off, cape whirling behind him. Aurora and I looked at each other, our concerns the mirror image of the other. Aurora broke our contact, and quietly followed Mandite down the hill. I watched them leave, and turned my gaze back at Mt. Coronet. The clouds ringed around the peak hid a secret place – but does it hide another? Stealing one last glance at the great mountain, I glumly trailed after the other two.

* * *

**I know I did a really poor job with this chapter (I had a brain fart), but it still has importance. This chapter is just a window looking into the "big picture" of my ENTIRE collection of stories. Yep, that includes the Rundas story, too. In addition, I thought I postponed my update on this story too long; don't worry, I'll make the next chapter at least better than this one! I'm going to start it ASAP. **

**As always, thanks to all my readers, especially Lupyne, King Sparky (you'll always be WolfWonders to me), and Opengunner. Thanks for reviewing!**

**So, Yay or Nay? Rate and Review... Please?  
**


	9. Chapter 9

It was several hours before Mandite ever spoke again. During those forever-stretching minutes, I had been thinking about what Mandite had said, and how he looked so shocked and bitterly-upset by the arrival of the vase. All up until now, he had his eyes kept on the ground, eyes washed with emerald light. Anyone could tell that he was deeply moved by some tragic event, expressing his depression with his soundless breaths, and cast eyes. Thankfully, his mood seemed to improve for the better.

"Do you know any cities around here?" he asked me, his eyes once again yellow and keen. I was relieved that Mandite's old personality was on its way back, but disturbed by the question he had tossed out to me. I, for one, had never seen a city – I have heard of them, but never dared to venture close to one. In doing so, I would put me and Aurora in danger of being caught by a pokemon trainer, and then our freedom would vaporize just like the pokemon retreating to their capsules. Mandite seemed perfectly oblivious to the human civilizations until now, so why did he suddenly asked? Did he crave for urban foods?

"I don't know." I answered him with a frank, clear-cut truth. Mandite frowned and brushed the edge of his cape slightly.

"Aw, that's too bad," he said, "My cape can only absorb so much – I need a backpack or something." I remembered the vase liquefying into the cape, and I nodded, showing him that I understood. Aurora gave me a worried look – she knew the dangers when wandering into human territory; we both did. Several years ago, we had a close encounter with a pokemon collector, in which Aurora nearly was snagged from the wild. We both slipped away, heavily battered by well-trained pokemon, breathing heavily from the intense battle, and from fear. She still is very frightened from the experience, trembling every time when she recalls the memory. I was not too happy with this myself. I watched Aurora start to tremble again, and I gave her a sympathetic smile.

"What's up?" Mandite tilted his posture to look at her with a diagonal view. Aurora shook her head, muttering something about being cold. She obviously did not want to trouble Mandite with her thoughts of pokemon trainers. However, Mandite was incredibly adept at figuring out what one is thinking.

"You don't like humans, don't you?" he asked cautiously. Aurora quickly looked up at him, her magenta eyes wide. Mandite continued to look questioningly with his cold, yellow gaze – Aurora finally sighed, and nodded.

"That's okay," Mandite laughed jokingly, "I don't have any money, anyways." Aurora smiled a tiny bit, Mandite's light attitude cheering her up. The blue puffball scanned the darkening sky, the blues becoming tinted with indigo, and the white clouds were dipped in soft pinks and golds. Before he even said a word, I knew what he was a bout to say next. I mouthed the words as Mandite spoke,

"Let's go set up camp, shall we?" And so followed our camp routine: Aurora and I sought out a suitable area to sleep, while Mandite looked for wood – and perhaps some berries to eat for himself. By now, this routine was drilled into our heads, and we parted our ways without a word or order. This time, however, was slightly different. When Mandite found us, he carried not only the usual pile of branches stacked evenly balanced on his head, but also a bundle of mushrooms.

"What's the occasion?" Aurora asked him, gesturing to the mushrooms. Mandite exhaled sharply.

"I'm hungry," he said, "that's the special occasion." We only could laugh in response – it's ironic to call something that he was everyday and hour special. And knowing Mandite, he was epicurean by nature, relishing every moment of the simple act of eating. The warrior only glared from under his mask and promptly lit the firewood settled neatly in the campfire. Pulling Galaxia from its sheath, dazzling us all with its brilliant lights, he did something rather unexpected. Carefully, Mandite speared a mushroom onto each of the prongs along the sides of the blade before setting it close to the fire. Here, this ultimate killing tool with a lethal history was also being used as a mushroom toaster. It made me laugh just to think of it, making such a deadly sword into something so mundane. I coughed into my arm while Mandite glared indignantly at a hysterical Aurora.

"What?" he demanded, "Knights made pizzas on their shields – so why can't I toast a mushroom on my blade?" A mushroom – those words seemed to tickle my laughter for a reason I know not. Aurora doubled up with her giggling, the soft sound music to my ears, setting my heart in flight. I looked over to Mandite, who I could tell was grinning from beneath his mask.

"So, I see we're in a good mood today," he said joyfully, his hands wringing in excitement, "say, how about I sing some campfire songs while I wait for - ?"

"NO!"

"All right, all right."

~*~

There was something about Mandite's armor that made me uneasy this morning – it wasn't the appearance, for it made the seven year old look like a figure of dignity than a child. No, it was the fact he was still wearing it since yesterday; Mandite usually takes off his armor soon after he puts them on. Even more nerving was the constant presence of sheathed Galaxia at his side. Even if he wore his armor, he kept Galaxia hidden within his cloak; what could be possibly going on? Was he being cautious, or was this just a mere exception? Neither Aurora or Mandite himself seemed to have noticed anything at all, so I had kept my opinion to myself. But the longer the day drew on, the more upsetting the sight became. I decided to end it with a question.

"Mandite?" the puffball straightened at the sound of his name. This struck me as odd – he would usually turn around and respond casually, such as "wassup?", but not even eye contact was made.

"Mandite," I asked him again, "why are you - ?" Mandite suddenly lunged in a bright flurry of lights, causing me to stumble back in surprise; Aurora cried out in shock. Mandite landed in front of us, Galaxia in one gloved hand, and something it his other. Upon a closer examination, I saw the diced remains of a black, yellow, and white metallic object that once resembled a sphere.

"It was thrown at Aurora." Mandite said curtly, confirming my fears. He let the pieces of an ultraball fall to the ground with a brisk wave of his hand. Staring at the shards of the pokeball, I felt fear engulf my feelings – we were in immediate danger.

"Keep your eyes peeled." I warned to the other two, my ears rotating on the top of my head, two sonars ready for the slightest trace of a sound wave.

"My eyes may be yellow, but they don't peel like bananas." Mandite said.

"I am being serious, Mandite." I shushed him.

"I am too." he answered gravely. Aurora ushered a laugh from behind me, and I gave her a hard look, warning her without a word to keep sharp. Instantly, she was silenced. Her magenta eyes scanned around along with mine across the land, the piercing gaze swooping to every source of sudden noise. Suddenly, my ears pricked up to the sound of crackling and whooshing of something starting to pass through the air.

"Move!" Mandite reacted a split second faster than we did, and the three of us scattered, dodging a tremendous spout of flame. I landed, my feet sliding on the ground, and I reached out with a paw to steady myself; I looked up to see who our attacker was. There, standing in the middle of singed and smoking grass, embers rising all around, was a new pokemon; behind it was a smaller figure – a human. From the strange, foreign scent, I could smell that they were from the Hoenn region, and I could tell that our attacker was a blaziken – a large, tough, male blaziken. I let out a throaty growl, warning him to back off. Instead, he snorted, to my further disdain.

"Nice try, lucario." he said, his voice gruff, "But orders are orders."

"Then order your sorry hindquarters away from us, or I will have to kick it there!" I barked, and he clenched his scaly fists.

"Too bad that's not part of the plan." he hissed.

"Zhoke, use flamethrower!" I looked up to the pokemon trainer behind the blaziken, her finger pointed towards me. Obeying his command, he produced a another jet of flame, which I flipped backwards to avoid. Landing on my feet, I quickly drew on the power of my aura, and shot back an aura sphere. Before it made contact, the blaziken jumped high into the air, with the aura sphere just nicking his toe, and delivered an incredibly swift, blaze kick downwards. I swooned to the right to dodge, and sharply brought down the back end of my paw on his back. The blaziken turned around, and sent two, painful, swipes into my chest with his feet. I stumbled back, regaining my breath. The blaziken ran towards me with a frightening speed, drawing his claw back to infuse me with smoldering flame. I must stay calm – I took a deep breath, holding my paws out in front of me, and drew on the power of aura. I pulled my paws away from each other, my aura shaping a thin bone within my grasp. I projected one arm forward, spinning the staff to block the attack, and quickly shifted it to my other paw. I ran towards him, and slashed upwards across the blaziken's body to send him backwards. The pokemon skidded in the field, making a deep dirt track, but he kept his balance.

"Too bad you have to have someone to tell you what to do!" I barked, causing the fire pokemon to become even more hot blooded. He roared, and sent a flamethrower pulsing high into the air.

"Do not question what I am capable to do by myself!" he yelled, and charged towards me. I stepped back, and conjured one aura sphere after another, each one narrowly dodged. Despite my dislike for the attacker, I had to admit he had been well-trained. What was his trainer after? Me? Aurora? Where was she and Mandite, anyways? I shook my head, forcing myself to focus on the battle. My priority is to fight at this moment – I just hope Aurora is safe. And Mandite.

That second for thought cost me greatly – I had let my guard down. The blaziken had gotten to close, and threw a well-developed, well-directed fire punch into my stomach. I fell backwards, my breath knocked from me. I winced from the sharp pain welling in my chest, and looked up to see the attacker sneering. Immediately, my emotions raged – I will _not_ tolerate being cast in anyone's shadow. The blaziken's muscles tensed, preparing to double kick, and I closed my eyes and took a deep, calm breath. The next move required much strength and concentration.

_[The aura is with me.]_ I chanted, and slowly maneuvered my body in a graceful motion, feeling my aura tingling and racing. The first blow touched my body, and my aura split into two forms of myself. I felt my thoughts recombine them behind the blaziken, and deliver a sharp kick across his back, streaks of blue aura serving as a signature for the move. The blaziken turned around, and flared his claws with fire; I felt the spikes on the tops of my paws fuse into steel, curving sharply into a set of vambraces. I growled, and slashed them together, making a metallic ring sounding through the air. And we charged at each other, our claws slashing in rage. I parried every move he made, and in turn I attacked. The blaziken seemed to be just as skilled with melee as I was – I jumped over his head to rake a claw down his back, and he threw his flaming talons, puncturing my shoulder. My mind was no longer thinking, just feeling the power run through me. Everything became second nature, and I felt that I had become a machine, running without thought. As every strike and blow was taken in, or clawed away, I lost track of time. I could have been fighting for days.

Another mistake – my daze had let my guard down, again. The blaziken jumped high into the air, and delivered a powerful blow, the aerial ace knocking me painfully into the ground.

"Finish him off!" the pokemon trainer commanded, and I felt myself look away to not see the triumphant gleam in those amber eyes. This would be my first faint – what would happen to me after I am unconscious? The blaziken charged at me, a fire punch ready to take me out. I winced and prepared for the fatal blow.

But it never came. I peeped open an eye, shaking, and then let them grow wide with shock and disbelief. Aurora stood strong, her eyes blazing and flaring like I have never seen before – they were incredibly bright, and leaped around so quickly, the magenta glare so intense, wild, and powerful. Her face was set in a hard expression, matching her warrior eyes with such precision, the blaziken himself was set aside with fear. Aurora had one paw clenched on a scruff, holding the blaziken, that was much larger than her, high enough so his toes brushed the ground. I felt her emotions pulsing through the air in obliterating waves of fury, so strong and so overwhelming. Aurora pulled back her free paw.

"Never," she growled in such an angry tone I have never heard, shaking the shocked pokemon, "hurt my friend in front of _me._" Aurora brought her paw swiftly to the blaziken's chest; bright blue light flashed underneath her palm, and the blaziken shuddered. Aurora, with a cold expression, dropped him onto the ground so that he fell onto all fours, gasping.

"Zhoke!" the pokemon trainer cried out with fear, and started to run. Suddenly, Mandite appeared out of nowhere, and held out Galaxia threateningly in front of her surprised face.

"What business do you have with us?" he demanded, his voice strong. The girl stuttered, stumbling backwards.

"Zhoke..." she whispered, gazing at her fallen blaziken. Mandite loosened his posture in confusion.

"Okay?" he wondered, "What do you mean by 'Z' okay'? Like 'it's okay'?"

"No," she whispered, "Zhoke." The trainer pointed at the blaziken, but shrank back when Mandite pointed his blade at her.

"Why did you attack us?" he interrogated, "It's not an optional question." He held the blade higher, his mask giving his desired effect of authority. Through my blurry vision, I saw her look at me, and then to Aurora, and back to me.

"Are those two mates, already?" she asked, pointing at me and Aurora. I flung my eyes wide with surprise, and my face flush with heat.

"What?" I gasped, my voice hoarse. Aurora looked equally perplexed. Mandite himself looked rather shocked.

"Oh, no, no!" he said, shaking vigorously, "they're just friends." The pokemon trainer for some reason looked a little pleased with this message.

"Well," she said, her eyes uneasily darting from Galaxia to Mandite, "I – uh – who are you?" Mandite's eyes narrowed.

"I'm Mandite," he said, "now – why did you attack us?" The girl gulped.

"I wanted to catch a lucario..." she said timidly, "But since you guys are friends... I guess I can't – I just want someone for Zhoke." She looked up at Aurora, who was looking back with wide, magenta eyes. I felt something flare in my stomach, my heart rustling its wings in rage – no one can take Aurora. Mandite sheathed his sword, to the trainer's relief.

"Do you know of any cities, by chance?" he asked. The pokemon trainer, who had dusted herself off, looked at Mandite as if he was a lunatic.

"Of course I do," she scoffed, "in fact, I was on my way to Solaceon town, myself." Something sick in my stomach warned me that Mandite was up to no good.

"Would you like to be our tour guide and lead us there?" Mandite asked. I bolted upright, surprised and unwilling. How did I know that this was going to happen? Mandite seemed to read my mind.

"Look at you," he scolded, "you need some doctor to fix you up."

"I am fine!" I cried out defiantly; and just as soon those words came out, the pain in my shoulder seared throughout my whole torso and I gasped with pain.

"Uh-huh." Mandite said, unconvinced, "You're in bad shape, bud. So unless you want to catch some nasty infection, I suggest we go find a doctor for you in the city." He turned away, his cape swishing.

"Besides," he added, "I do need a backpack." I growled in protest, ignoring the stabbing pain in my shoulder. Aurora walked over to my pained body and knelt beside me. She gently stroked my arm, easing my body from some of its torment.

_[You should go see a doctor,]_ she suggested, _[you are pretty badly beaten up.] _I looked up to see her eyes flickering in concern for me, and sighed. The only person she should have to worry about is herself, so I made up my mind.

"All right," I grumbled obligingly, "we can go." Mandite exhaled sharply off in the distance.

"I never asked your opinion," he laughed, "we _are_ going." I snorted, shaking my head. Aurora raised me to my feet, and brushed off the dirt on my back, making a shiver go up my spine.

_[Can you walk?]_ she asked, a firm but gentle arm supporting me. I found it funny that it was my turn to be the one recuperating and she the one who is the guardian. I used my other arm to pat hers reassuringly.

_[I'll be fine.]_ I smiled, _[Don't worry.]_ Aurora didn't look entirely convinced, though, but she left it at that. We heard a grunt, startling us; we turned around to see Zhoke stand up, his claw over the spot where Aurora used force palm on him. He glanced at Aurora with something stirring in his amber eyes, and walked to follow his master and Mandite. I looked back at Aurora to see that she was just staring at the lone blaziken with a lost, confused daze; something in my heart felt taken aback. I nudged her in the shoulder and she snapped back to reality. Without a word to each other, we followed in silence – painful silence. What was she thinking?

* * *

**... Ooh... _Fighting._ I can't describe it very well, though - it looked cool in my head. ^^;**

**I think I lied about this chapter being better than the last one... Ah well. I have to pull on my brain juices and think harder!**

**So, Yay or Nay? Rate and Review as always!  
**


	10. Chapter 10

"Blaziken," I said impatiently, "he's a blaziken, for the last time." Mandite wiggled in his stool by the side of my ward. We had reached the Pokemon Center about three hours ago, Zhoke and I battered and suffering. Zhoke lay under his white sheets, breathing slowly. I smirked – even though he had suffered less physical damage than I had, Aurora had performed quite a powerful force palm that was strong enough to collapse him. It taught him a lesson not to bother us again.

Despite Aurora harshly attacking him so, she seemed eager to get to know the blaziken. She spent her time walking to this city observing the tall, feathered pokemon. Sometimes she would ask me an occasional question about what I thought blazikens ate, but she mainly sought out his appearance without saying a word. I tried to let this not bother me, for who am I to get in the way of her curiosity? But now, sitting in white comforters and bandages, it was starting to nag the back of my mind, as I watched her peer at him again with a sympathetic expression.

"Blaziken?" Mandite tested the word on his tongue, "blaziken – sounds like a type of spicy meat; blazing chicken!" I had no clue what Mandite meant by "chicken", but I only nodded, my thoughts elsewhere. Wincing in pain, I watched Aurora gaze at Zhoke laying in the sunlit corner of the clinic. It was much more painful than the stings in my shoulder – I touched my aching chest.

Suddenly, Zhoke raised himself into a sitting position, turning his regal head towards my way. Aurora gasped, and turned her face away from his amber gaze, busying herself with the bowl of fruit at my bedside table. I glanced at her with a frown on my face, and then back at Zhoke. He seemed to be mildly interested in something, tipping his head back and smiling. Even with this friendly repose, I do not trust this pokemon – much less, his trainer. Something at the back of my mind told me that the girl had some other intentions up her sleeve, thinking back when Mandite held the pieces of the ultraball. What I held against Zhoke is unknown to me – I only think that he is up to no good.

"Hey there." I heard Zhoke's voice call, deep and rich. Aurora looked up shyly to his friendly greeting, and only nodded. I only snorted, not bothering to say hello back – I knew that he wasn't speaking to me. I felt a growl rumble in my throat. Mandite heard it and gave me a sharp look, but I ignored him.

"Don't be shy," the blaziken laughed, gesturing Aurora with a talon to come closer to him, "come over here – what's your name, anyways?" Aurora, who had timidly walked over to stand by his side, tapped her paws together.

"Aurora." she said softly. Something about her behavior caught my attention – Aurora usually was more outgoing than this. Why is she acting so different now? A memory of me being as shy as she was now set my stomach churning with sickness. Was she...

"Hmm, that's a nice name." Zhoke said, breaking my thoughts, "Where d'ya get it?" Aurora laughed a little bit, covering her mouth with both paws. My face was scrunched in disgust – what happened to the Aurora I knew, who ran around eating wildflowers and hung upside down from trees? The one who was my friend and my love? I watched with disdain and horror what Aurora had become. Her beautiful, wild face nor her serene body did not look any more different, but the Aurora I knew and loved was a distant memory now that Zhoke was here. I looked away, sorrow biting the feathers of my heart. My only hope is that this was only a passing phase, and that Aurora, Mandite, and I could once again be on our way to find Mandite's home; and that Aurora could be herself again.

"Hey," I looked up to see Mandite, his eyes glowing from under his mask, "I am going to check out the town, kapeesh?" I was ready to object, for if Mandite left, I would be left alone with Aurora and Zhoke and my thoughts. But, with a short nod, I told him it was fine for him to go – I just hope he doesn't get into too much trouble. I sighed, leaning back against my pillow while listening to Aurora's and Zhoke's warm conversation, and hoped that my body will recover soon.

~*~

It has been a week, and I have yet to be terminated from the clinic. Zhoke had healed several days earlier, so the company that he brought had slipped away, leaving me the only person there, with the occasional nurse and visitors. Otherwise, I rest against white pillows in the golden, sunlit room, alone for long periods of time to think. I mainly thought about Aurora, and how she is so different now. Every time she visited me, she was quiet but giggly. She would constantly check the time, always saying she had planned to meet Zhoke in the next five minutes – and with a hasty farewell, I am alone again, feeling hurt and confused. For many hours, I have complained to the ceiling that I should have been the one who holds Aurora, with our noses touching tenderly. I blamed Zhoke for stealing her away, and mocking me behind my back. But now, carefully tracing each fold of the white linen that covered me, I knew that it wasn't Zhoke's fault. Aurora is a free-spirited lucario, who can fall in love with anyone she chooses – if she is happy with Zhoke, than I'll let that be. I would rather suffer internal pain than watching her suffer. Only if things were different...

"Lu-ca-lu-lucario!" A young voice rang out from the entrance. I looked up to see Mandite strolling in, cape swishing from side to side. He disappeared behind the foot of my ward, and then reappeared again, climbing up the side to sit on the bed. He plopped himself onto the extra, stray pillows and heaved up something on the floor. Nestled beside him, was a bag.

"I finally got one!" Mandite said with self-satisfied glee, "And I brought us something to do!" He began rummaging around, his stubby arms sifting through his belongings inside. Looking at the backpack, I wondered how he got the money to pay for it.

"How did you get the money?" I asked, speaking for the first time in several hours. Mandite did not even look up once, but he answered in a casual tone,

"Ah, I dug them from the local fountain," He paused to hold up and examine a compass, "you won't believe how much money is in there!" Mandite stuffed the compass back in, and began sifting around again. I wondered if Mandite saw Aurora recently, and noticed her odd behaviors.

"Do you think Aurora is acting a little strange?" I asked him. Mandite finally looked up and stared at me with a blank, yellow stare that seemed to see through me.

"A little." he said, "Why d'ya ask?" Not wanting to reveal my feelings, I only shrugged. Mandite stared at me for several more seconds before returning to his belongings. I only watched the blue warrior in silence, keeping my thoughts about Aurora to myself.

"Aha!" Mandite pulled out two objects wrapped in plastic, "I found them – here, one's for you." He tossed both to me, which I caught with a paw, and held them closer to my face to see what it was. One looked like triangular pieces of golden-brown foam, with a slip of paper in between the two pieces. The other looked the same, except it was one, bigger piece with no paper.

"What are these?" I asked.

"Fortune cookies," Mandite remarked happily, "Here – give me one." I held out the one with two pieces.

"No, the other one, please." I handed him the one with the full piece. He took it, and opened the plastic wrapping, crackling and crinkling sounds filling the silent room.

"Is there a difference?" I asked.

"Yep," Mandite said, breaking the cookie in half, "You got the broken one and I didn't." He threw a half through the opening in his mask.

"Well, thanks." I said, looking at my broken cookie.

"Eh, don't get all sour with me – I gave you the broken one so you can see the paper," Mandite said, "Aurora didn't know that there was paper inside when I got her one, so she ate it – paper and all." He popped the other half through the opening in his mask, and investigated his slip of paper.

"It was really funny; we all were laughing when she pulled that out of her mouth." I imagined the look of astonishment on her face just then, as Mandite read his piece of paper, "_May Jirachi shower you with all your dreams,_" As I opened the little package, I heard Mandite huff in obvious displeasure.

"I don't want to be 'showered' with flying monkeys," Mandite said, holding the slip of paper away from him, "This statement is worded like a question, but it's not – it should say _'May Jirachi shower you with _all_ your dreams?'_. The answer is a no!" I snorted in amusement – Mandite took things too literally. The message was only meant as a positive statement to boost morale. Now Mandite is going to quiver underneath an umbrella, waiting for monkeys to fall. Such a silly kid...

"What does yours say?" Mandite looked up, seeming to forget entirely about whatever flying monkeys were. I had just slipped the first piece of cookie in my mouth, the exotic sweetness of the dry food crumbling in my mouth. I found it rather delightful, and smiled with content as I answered,

"I don't know."

"Well, then read it!" he urged, hopping up and down. I took the piece of paper from my lap and read the message. Instead of a message of lame, good fortunes, I found this:

_My patience is wearing thin, Lucario – hurry up and find a portal or I'll find _you_._

My eyes widened with shock from the sharpness of the message – it wasn't written with fluffy words for the random stranger to find; no, it was directed specifically towards me. Fear flooded my senses – what could all of this mean? Was someone after me? How could I even find a portal if I didn't even know what it was? Who wrote this? My mouth was dry.

"Hey, what does it say?" Mandite leaned closer to read the little message in my paws, and his eyes widened, too, "Whoa – that's kinda... creepy." I nodded in agreement.

"What could it mean?" I asked. Mandite hummed a little, thinking deeply, tapping his mask thoughtfully. I awaited for his answer in anxious silence.

"Well," he finally said, sighing, eyes flashing green, "I think that it has to do with me." What? The message was directed to me, not Mandite.

"I know portals transported people from place to place," Mandite continued, "but could it also separate world from world?" Now I knew what he meant; someone wanted the warrior to go home. My mind buzzed with fear – we had to find a "portal" before something or someone comes and finds us. Who knew what would happen next. I reluctantly pushed the second piece of fortune cookie into my mouth. Somehow, it seemed much more bitter than before.

"I have to go home," Mandite whispered. But how are we even supposed to find a portal throughout the whole Sinnoh Region without even knowing what it looks like? How are we even going to get out of this city with Aurora being cheery? Surely, Aurora would be heartbroken to leave Zhoke, but I wouldn't want to leave her behind. Somehow, I had to convince her to come with us – _without_ Zhoke. Something told me that this mission was supposed to be done in secret, and if another notices, that could bring danger to Mandite's world. I looked down on my paws, which were shaking slightly from fright. I didn't want to be scared, but I was.

"Aw, c'mon Lucario," Mandite said, reaching back into his backpack to pull something out, "don't get too stressed out – it will increase your risk for a heart attack." In my mind, I imagined Mandite saying that Uncle Tally told him that knight shouldn't get stressed out when fighting for these reasons. Aside that fact, I knew that if my mind dwelt on a thought too long, I wouldn't be able to sleep well. Anxiety is not good for me – I decided to listen to the little warrior.

"Fine." I muttered.

"Good." Mandite said happily, and pulled out a square piece of wood, checkered with smaller, black squares, along with a small pouch that was tinkling with small, wood pieces inside, "So, how about a game to ease the nerves?" He set the board in between us, and spilled out the contents of the pouch. Peculiarly carved, wooden pieces clattered onto the board, some of them white, some of them black. After tossing the pouch aside, Mandite quickly arranged the pieces in particular order on the board, with the white ones on my side, and the black ones on his. Curiosity pricked my mind with a gleeful poke.

"This," Mandite announced with a flourish, waving a gloved hand graciously over the set up, "is chess."

~*~

It was another half a week before I finally stepped outside the Pokemon Center. The city on the outside was so strange, and confusing. There were many humans and pokemon going every which way, the roads congested with their traffic. My mind is constantly buzzing from all the activities, sounds, sights, and smells. Luckily for me, I don't have to adjust to this life for very long – I hope. Aurora doesn't seem ready to part with Zhoke, yet. Or ever, I thought, blinking hard to numb my pain. If I can't convince Aurora that she should come with us to see Mandite safely go home, then we would have to leave without her.

I found her with Zhoke standing near a white picket fence that caged a great diversity of pokemon on the inside. Cautiously, I walked quietly behind them, not really wanting to talk to Zhoke – but I really had to talk to Aurora. It was more than something to soothe my rigid feelings for her; it had urgency to it. Someone is out there waiting for me to return Mandite home – somehow that someone knows that Mandite is in our world and wants him to get out, or else he will hunt us down. Aurora and Mandite were friends, so surely she would want to see him off. But even if she chooses to stay with Zhoke, I at least want to let her know that we are going, and that we're going to say good-bye. Once Mandite gets past the portal, he's never going to return. But me? Who knows – I may be dead, lost, confused – perhaps this would be the last time I will see her as well. I don't blame her for wanting to stay with Zhoke – I would also want to stay with my love forever, but duty calls. Seeing that the two were in a deep, heart-felt conversation, I decided that it was not the best time to interrupt. Sighing, I turned my head away and back into the crowd of many people, feeling more alone than ever.

Finally, I wandered far enough from the street so that there were no people around. Under the shade of a solitary tree, I sat on the grass that grew below it. It was nice to feel something either than hard cobblestone and pavement. Leaning against the tree with a sigh, I closed my eyes, trying to run far away from all my troubles. My heart ached for Aurora – I missed her so much. I haven't said a word to her for the past few days. I shook my head sorrowfully, and rested it on my knees.

"Lucario!" my head immediately bolted up, hearing a voice I have yearned for so long. There was Aurora, running towards me. I stood up, smiling a bit from the happiness that flooded my senses. Aurora slowed to a stop in front of me, panting, her magenta eyes flashing.

"Mandite told me you just got out of the Pokemon Center," she said, catching her breath, "how are you feeling?"

"Better." I said, glad that I was talking to her again. She straightened herself.

"I was thinking," she started to ask, "maybe you and Mandite can come with me and Zhoke to the park – sounds good?" Something jerked in my mind.

"Aurora," I said, my voice lowering into an urgent whisper, "I need to tell you something." Aurora's ears flicked with surprise and she cocked her head.

"What is it?" she asked. I breathed deeply before starting my spiel.

"Aurora," I said, "we have to leave – soon." Aurora stepped back with shock.

"Leave?" she gasped.

"I know you don't want to go," I said hastily, "but Mandite has to go home."

"Who told you that?"

"My fortune cookie did." I said, not knowing how to explain the situation. Aurora snorted in amusement.

"Funny," she said, "my cookie never told me anything except that my lucky numbers were five and fourteen."

"No," I whined earnestly, "I am being serious; the slip of paper said that something was going to hunt me down if I don't get Mandite home on time!" The look on Aurora's face seemed as though she didn't really believe me.

"Aurora, we have to go." I sighed. Aurora looked down, thinking deeply about the predicament. I carefully watch her; Aurora still looks very beautiful, even when she is downcast. Finally Aurora sighs and then looks at me in the eye, hers shimmering with life.

"Can Zhoke come, too?" I felt myself stagger back in my mind. Zhoke? I really didn't want him to come for two main reasons: the first concerns with safety issues for Mandite's world, and the other is the fact I simply do not like him. Something lit the wings of my heart in burning flame.

"No." I said firmly. It was Aurora's turn to be taken aback, but then she quickly answered, matching my tone,

"Why not?" My mind was racing too fast for my mouth to keep up.

"Because he just can't go!" I blurted out, and immediately, seeing the look on Aurora's face, I regretted it.

"Do you have a problem with Zhoke?" she hissed. Suddenly, my personality was split into two. My sane mind that was not befuddled with love tried to restrain my heart that was raging with fury. My mind told me that this conversation can get very nasty if I don't say the right things, but my heart does not care. There are plenty of things I find wrong with Zhoke, especially the fact that Zhoke attracted Aurora more than I did. I had a feeling that Zhoke did not truly love Aurora as I did. Before I could shut my mouth, I spat,

"He's a jerk, okay?" Aurora flattened her ears, and her mouth pulled into a snarl.

"He is not!" she growled, her eyes a intense fury of flames, "So I guess the only reason that we have to leave is because you just want me to be miserable!" That was definitely not the reason we had to leave. Now my mind was trembling with anger from being falsely accused.

"So I see that you obviously think that prancing about in front of Zhoke is more important to you than getting Mandite home!" Aurora's eyes flashed dangerously.

"I am not prancing!" Aurora defied.

"Well that's what it looks like to me!" I barked, "For the past week and a half, I have been worried sick about you and Mandite! There is something out there that is threatening our well-being if Mandite is not going home soon; and obviously all you're worried about is a walk in the park with Zhoke! It's perfectly fine if you don't come – if it means bringing Zhoke - it's better I leave you." I breathed deeply before continuing.

"If you think that I can say all of this because I am not sacrificing anything, then you thought wrong." I growled, "If I leave you, that means I leave behind the utmost, best friend I could ever have; and I may never see you again." With these words, I felt my heart being shredded apart. I fixed my gaze deep into those magenta eyes. Whether they were shocked, happy, sad, or nostalgic, I did not bother to read them.

"If this is the case, and you decide that Zhoke is worth more than I or Mandite," I panted with effort to keep myself from breaking, "then good-bye!" Aurora stumbled backwards, her eyes in a lost, broken daze. She whimpered, mouthing silent words, and ran off, the echoes of sobbing trailing after her. I stood there, watching her turn the corner, lost and confused as well. Would we ever be together again, after all that has happened?

"Ah, now I see what's going on!" I quickly looked up to see where the young voice was coming from. There was Mandite, his eyes glowing a keen emerald green, perched lazily above in the tree. How long has he had been up there? How much did he hear?

"What?" I snapped irritably. Mandite huffed and his eyes narrowed.

"Don't act all sour with me." he said curtly, sharp enough to bend my defiance to his will. I sighed and shook my head. Today, I have made an ugly mess, and there is no need to start another one.

"You're jealous of Zhoke, aren't you?" Mandite said, and I whipped around, snarling. The last thing I wanted to be accused of is wishing that I wanted to be like Zhoke. Mandite held up a hand.

"Peace," he calmly stated, "one day, you should be tough enough to hear other people's opinions about you." My temper cooled slightly, but I was still rigid.

"I'm only saying that you wished that Aurora favored you over Zhoke, that's all." I felt warm blood flush my face.

"I do not." I said, denying my own feelings. Mandite only chuckled in response.

"It's pretty obvious that you do," he said, "at least to me." Mandite is too smart for his own good, I thought bitterly. We stood there in silence, thinking. After some time, Mandite spoke again.

"You should go apologize to Aurora." he suggested. I felt my ears droop. Aurora... Would she forgive me for yelling at her? Would she even let me come within a mile from her? I really dreaded seeing her again – what would she say? Mandite sighed.

"A man's gotta do it." he said, "I mean, you were kinda harsh. Nothing is going to be better if you just sit there." I closed my eyes.

"But still," I said softly, "she still might... you know." I couldn't bear to say reject.

"Still," Mandite said philosophically, " it's better to walk away knowing that you apologized for you actions, than regretting that you never had."

"Trust me on this one," Mandite quietly continued, "It haunted Uncle Tally for as long as he could remember, and ever will." I collapsed onto my knees, hardly able to hold the weight of my troubles. Mandite jumped down from his perch and landed next to me.

"Just think about it, okay?" he said, and pulled out a chessboard.

"How 'bout a game of chess," he offered, "to ease the nerves?" I only could nod, but fearing what may happen later, when I go to Aurora to apologize.

~*~

To my surprise, I found Aurora in the quiet of the night, at a lonesome, abandoned fountain without the presence of Zhoke. Cautiously, I approached her, not wanting to startle her. Through the pounding of my nervous heart, I heard her soft sniffles. Aurora had been crying. I walked around to sit on the edge of the fountain by her side.

"Aurora," I said as softly and gently as I could, "I justed wanted to say..." My voice broke up.

"I just wanted to say," I struggled to regain my strength, "that I am sorry – sorry for how I acted earlier." Aurora turned her head so she looked at me from a sideways glance. I stared back, breathing slowly.

"I am sorry, too." I heard her whisper back, her voice shaking. I reached out an arm to put around her shoulder in comfort, but I guess we are too distant for that, now. Instead, I placed my paw down at my side, sighing. We sat in silence for a while longer, before I remembered about telling her that we had to leave.

"Aurora," I said, "Either way, I would have to leave with Mandite. There is something dangerous that awaits Mandite's departure – and it's getting rather impatient." Aurora finally raised her head to look at me squarely in the eye. No matter how far apart we get, I still find those eyes breath-taking. I forced myself to remain on topic.

"I understand if you can't come with us," I swallowed a lump in my throat before continuing, "love is a very powerful thing." I looked away, unable to look into her eyes any longer without shedding a tear. I turn my gaze to the moon.

"You love Zhoke, and Zhoke loves you," I managed to choke out, "and you are very lucky. I don't want to ruin that luck." I closed my eyes, and restrained myself from shuddering with pain.

"How do you know all of this?" Aurora asked. My eyes opened. It was rather funny in my point of view with her asking me this question, after all the times I have loved her myself. I look down at her, looking at her waiting for an answer patiently. I decided I won't let her wait any longer.

"I, like you, was in love too." I admitted, doing my best to hide my emotions. Aurora suddenly looked curious.

"Who did you love?" she asked, perhaps a little livelier and more like herself. I sighed, thinking bitterly about the severed bond between me and Aurora. It all happened so fast, but it felt like ages.

"It was a long time ago." I said, averting my eyes again to look at the moon. I could hear Aurora breathing, and the trickles of water in the fountain. At night, it was so quiet.

"Was she beautiful?" Again, I return my gaze back at Aurora.

"Yes," I said, looking at Aurora with a pain in my heart, "very, very beautiful." She looked at me sympathetically, her eyes flickering like a candle in the wind. Only if she really knew who I meant... I bowed my head, thinking deeply. It was almost awkward, now, sitting here and talking to Aurora. With a droop of my ears, I realized that perhaps we will never be as close of friends as before. Maybe I should have said something sooner.

"I will go with you and Mandite." I turned my head to look at Aurora with surprise.

"But what about Zhoke?" I stammered. Aurora looked off to the side with a conflicted expression.

"I know," she said, "but several months ago, I made a promise – a promise to help Mandite find his way home. I am not about to break it." I couldn't speak.

"You know you may never be able to return." I finally said, "then what about Zhoke?" If Aurora died, or was never able to return, Zhoke would be broken as well. I may dislike Zhoke, but I don't wish heartbreak even on the worst of my enemies. Aurora only looked more somber.

"A promise is a promise." Aurora said firmly, "I'll tell Zhoke – I am supposed to meet him tonight." Aurora stood up to leave. Thinking back, I remembered one more apology I had to make.

"Aurora?" She looked at me.

"I am sorry for calling Zhoke a jerk," I said, "I mean, it really wasn't my place to call him that. More than anything, I am the jerk." Aurora's expression looked surprised.

"Zhoke probably has made you happier these past few days more than I have ever done in eight years." I continued, "So I am sorry for being a hypocrite." At that point, I didn't know how to read the bewildered expression on Aurora's face. All I knew is that she stood there for a moment, before bending down to look at me at my eye level.

"Lucario," she said, "Zhoke may love me, and I may love him. However, he had never taught me how to survive in the wild, never saved my life while risking his own, and never was the lone stranger who took pity on me and allowed me to tag along with him when I was all alone eight years ago." Aurora sighed, and blinked hard.

"I'll never forget the friend who did all of those things and more." she said, "Lucario, no matter how much I will love Zhoke, you will always be the best friend I will ever have." And with that said, she gently touched my shoulder, and left.

Now I sit here alone, listening to the water trickle down the stone facets of the fountain, feeling my own water tug at the ends of my eyes.

* * *

**... So... Yay or Nay? Rate and Review, as always... please? **

**I give my greatest gratitude to Lupyne, WolfWonders, and Opengunner, whose support keeps me going through and through.  
**


	11. Chapter 11

It was morning once more, with the sun just barely breaking on the horizon, its golden light trickling into the indigo sky when I stood by a tree that rested on the outskirts of Solaceon Town. A fresh wind blew in, bringing the scents of the tranquil plains and rugged mountains from far away. Here, I waited patiently for Aurora. Mandite, however, was not quite as patient.

"How long is this going to take?" he groaned, "I hope she is saying all of her goodbyes right now, because I can't wait much longer!" Suddenly, we heard two people talking, their voices faint and somewhat in the distance.

"Speak of the devil," Mandite said, "here she comes now." The voices got louder as Zhoke and Aurora went around the corner. The expression on their faces made it very apparent that they still disagreed about Aurora's leaving.

"A promise is a promise, Zhoke," Aurora sighed, looking away from the blaziken's face. Zhoke took her paw and held it close to him.

"What if we never see each other again?" he said, "Please stay with me, my love," I felt my fur bristle and my throat tighten. To my relief, I saw Aurora shook her head.

"I'd love to," she said, with a tinge of regret, "but I told Lucario I would come – he and Mandite are probably waiting for me." In which we are; I couldn't help but feel a little pleased that we were a priority that was above Zhoke for once. I saw the feathers on the blaziken's neck raise with agitation as a hard glint appeared in his amber eyes.

"So," he said, with a sharp edge to his voice, "are you sure that this is not some cocktail scheme that he has up his sleeve? How can you be so sure that this is true?"

"You can just ask me," Mandite spoke boldly, stepping up to them, "it's about time, Aurora." he added, impatiently. Aurora, eager to avoid an argument with Zhoke, turned around and gave him one last hug good-bye. The anger in the blaziken's eyes faded, and his sharp expression softened. He gently touched Aurora's cheek with his, and nuzzled his beak against her neck, closing his eyes. I looked away as he rocked Aurora back and forth in his arms, not wanting to jump up and strangle him. Mandite suddenly became very engrossed with a stray page of a newspaper.

"Remember that I will always look out for you," Zhoke muttered in Aurora's sapphire velveted ear, "we'll be together again, one day." Aurora nodded, and in her soft gentle voice that seemed to melt my heart, she murmured,

"I'll miss you,"

"And I will too," Zhoke replied. Mandite and I waited for some time, with the young warrior staring off into the sky, humming nervously to himself. Meanwhile, I simply watched, and waited for their embrace to end, trying my best to endure the pangs of the tears in the wings of my heart. And, finally after for what seemed like ages, the two broke apart, giving each other one last tender touch.

"Take care," Aurora called. Zhoke nodded in response.

"You too," and with that said, the blaziken ran back into the darkness of the city, leaving Aurora looking very lost and broken. With empathy, feeling the very same way except for the fact I loved her and not Zhoke, I walked up to her and tapped her on the shoulder. Aurora turned around, her eyes glassy from tears, forming a shining layer above her magenta flames twisting and shrieking with pain. Oh, such look tore right through my soul, another deep ache in my chest erupting inside me. I could do nothing to take away her pain, for she loved Zhoke and not me. All I could do was attempt to ease it with a smile, in which I did.

"Come, Aurora," I said softly, trying to sound as comforting as I could, "let us depart." Aurora nodded, and walked towards the sun, her head bowed in grief. I watched her pass by me, feeling guilty that I had somewhat forced her to come. I can't let her be like this, suffering in heartbreak. Making up my mind, I called out to her,

"Aurora," She turned around to look at me. I took one moment's hesitation before saying,

"You don't have to go, Aurora. You could stay here with Zhoke, and both of you would be happy." Aurora stared at me blankly.

"Don't go like this," I begged, "if you are going to waste away, missing your love, then stay, please. We could go on – it's all right." Aurora shook her head.

"I feel indebted to go and fulfill my promise to Mandite," she said solemnly. This personality was just like any other lucario – we have purpose and a sense of duty when it calls. I knew the feeling very well, well enough to know that nothing can stop that desire to keep honest to their promises – even if it meant sacrificing time with a loved one. I sighed and closed me eyes; what have I done? I reopened them to see a hint of a smile playing on Aurora's face, to my surprise.

"Besides," she continued, "Mandite has the fortune cookies." I couldn't help but smile back, tears tickling the ends of my eyes from the joy that the Aurora I had missed for so long was finally making her way back. Mandite held up his backpack triumphantly, the scene of his serious mask mixed with a child's backpack being somewhat comical to me. I felt my smile grow wider.

"Let's go, team!" Mandite said pompously, and attempted to march forward. All he managed to do was kick his feet high and move five inches before he gave up on the idea altogether. Aurora's mouth curled into a small, half smile, playful embers lighting up in her fuchsia eyes.

"Well, what are we waiting for, Mandite?" she said, some of her liveliness showing through her somber tone. Mandite turned to look at her with a mild expression.

"We're waiting for you, slowpoke," he said slyly, and then dashed off, his laughs cackling in the distance. I grinned with childish glee, and bolted right after the energetic creature, with Aurora running as fast as the wind by my side. At that moment, we caught each other's eyes, and Aurora smiled a full, dazzling smile. I closed my eyes, feeling the wild, free wind flow over my fur.

Welcome back, Aurora.

~*~

"I wanna stop and eat lunch!" For a while now, Mandite complained about how famished he was, but both Aurora and I said it was more urgent for us to cover as much ground as possible. Now, Mandite would not move a centimeter until he had something to eat. Sighing with exasperation, we had no choice but to rest and eat. So here we are now, sitting on a hill by the mountainside, where the forest and the mountain clashed together in a mixed setting, so unique and wonderful. Humming to himself, Mandite dug around in his backpack for something to eat as I carefully studied my reflection in a clear pool nearby. It has been a while since I have seen myself. When I peered in, I realized that I looked very much like my father, so similar that I almost thought my father was actually there. My appearance was quite different than it was several years ago, which reminded me how much I have grown. I was practically an adult now – I am eighteen in a little more than a year, which was the official age of adulthood for males. Females become adults a little earlier – when they are sixteen. I broke my gaze away from my reflection and looked up and Aurora, who was busying herself with a berry. Next year, she would be an adult. It shocked me how time passed so quickly, and how it only seemed like yesterday we had met as six and eight year olds at the edge of a forest clearing. Thinking back on previous years, it amazed me how much things have changed.

"Anyone up for a cookie?" Both Aurora and myself looked up and requested a fortune cookie. Mandite tossed one to each of us, the crinkling of plastic muffled by my paws enclosing around one of these small packages. When I opened them, I saw that the cookie inside was once again split in half. I was about to complain, but then I decided that the cookie would taste just the same as it would if it was whole, so there was no need to complain. I carefully opened the small, plastic wrapping.

"**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"** My ears pricked up to an ear-splitting scream, looking up just in time to see Mandite fall over, his mask toppling off his face to reveal a very frightened face. Shocked and concerned, Aurora and I rushed to the young child's side.

"I AM TOO YOUNG FOR THIS!!!!" He wailed in despair, thrashing about in distressed motions. Aurora gently touched his frantic arm, but Mandite threw himself to his feet, and started to rant like a lunatic.

"I AM ONLY SEVEN YEARS OLD AND THEY SEND ME A MESSAGE ABOUT A WIFE I DON'T EVEN HAVE?!!!!!!" he cried out in panic, "I AM CURSED FOR ALL ETERNITY!!!!!!!!!! SOMEONE HELP ME!!!!!!! I DON'T WANNA GET MARRIED!!!!!!" Aurora patted his arm, hesitating slightly, not knowing how to handle the situation. Tearing my eyes away from the quizzical sight, my eyes lit upon a slip of paper, which I assumed was Mandite's. I picked up the slightly crinkled paper in my paws, and held it close to my face to read the tiny words.

_You and your wife will have a long and happy life together. ;_D

I couldn't help but chuckle, finding Mandite's reaction quite ridiculously exaggerated to the point it was silly. Mandite blinked and glared at me.

"It is NOT funny," he retorted, his green eyes suddenly brightening, "but of course you would find it funny, because you and Auro-" Knowing what he was going to say next, I quickly snatched up his backpack and shoved it into his unsuspecting face, drowning out the rest of the sentence with muffled sounds. As Mandite tried to push it away, Aurora gave me a sharp look.

"What are you doing?" she asked, and I felt the words get caught in my throat. I coughed and fumbled with the words on my tongue.

"Mandite is inhaling too much oxygen," I said, thinking off the top of my head, "I think he needs to slow his breathing down." Aurora gave me a funny look, but left it at that. She walked over to the reflecting pool to eat her fortune cookie, perhaps giving herself some time alone to think about Zhoke. I watched her go, my emotions becoming mixed, when suddenly I felt a hard tug on my arm the caused me to collapse onto the ground. I heard Mandite hiss in my ear.

"What was that for?" Exasperated, I turned to face him.

"What you said was uncalled for" I growled in a soft tone, so that Aurora couldn't hear us. Mandite exhaled sharply, fitting his fallen mask back onto his face.

"What I was _about_ to say was perfectly true," he retorted, adjusting his mask to suit his liking, "and _you_ know it – I mean, c'mon, it is kinda obvious." So, Mandite did know I held a secret passion for Aurora, which wasn't so much as a secret anymore. I glared at Mandite with my father's scarlet gaze, but Mandite simply left matters as they were and walked off to eat his lunch. I stared at him, and sighed. What he was about to say, before I stopped him, is that I wished for a life where Aurora was my mate till my life ended. Aurora is a good friend, and I love her, but at the moment I would rather not think about her as a mate – especially since that she is more interested in Zhoke than me. Besides, it is close to impossible that we would be mates anyways, knowing each other so well that she probably feels that I am her older brother. That would be awkward, in some sense. As for me, I feel that she is my best friend and secret love, but to think of her as a mate would be a step too large.

I became too troubled with the topic, so I just allowed it to drop away, trying to think of something else. In doing so, I remembered the main, most important reason why we were out in the wild again. Either way, Mandite is going home, whether I survive or not. But how can we find a portal that leads him homeward bound if I did not even know what one looks like? And how do we know if it is the right one?

"Mandite?" I asked, and he looked up, giving silent permission to ask him a question, "How do you know that you are looking at a portal when you see one?" Mandite tapped the side of his mask thoughtfully, leaning to one side.

"Hmm," he blinked, a brief moment of darkness on his face, "well, I remember that the portal I always used looked like a hexagonal, translucent blue membrane framed with a gold border. I don't know what the portals look like around here, but I guess I have a basic to look for." He shrugged, finally taking out a sandwich, or at least what I think was a sandwich – I am not very familiar with human foods. Aside that point, Mandite lifted his mask so it uncovered his mouth and swallowed the whole sandwich. He let his mask once again cover face, looking as though nothing bizarre happened.

"Where do you think these portals may be?" I asked. Mandite hummed, resuming his habit of tapping the side of his mask.

"Well," he said, thinking deeply, looking up into the sparse canopy above us, "portals are almost always in a secluded area, where people rarely have gone to before, otherwise we would have millions of people crossing back and forth between worlds. Aside from that, they could be just about anywhere."

"Even in the water and sky?" I asked curiously. Mandite made a sharp bob of his head.

"Even in the water and sky – in fact, there is _more_ portals in the water, the sky, and even in the ground," Mandite stomped the ground below him with his foot for emphasis, "The ones at ground level are the rarest, since they would be the easiest to reach – and we don't want that happening."

"How would you know all of this?" I asked him – Mandite proved to be more knowledgeable about the topic of portals than I had initially thought. Mandite's eyes flashed a bright blue, instead of green.

"Uncle Tally," he said happily – I should have known this was coming, "one of his jobs is to check on the portals to other worlds, for each dimension's safety, and he told me all about it! It is an _extremely_ important job."

"Aside from that," he continued, "I use them myself to go back and forth between the world where we live in and the world where Popstar is located." Popstar? I was becoming confused. Did Mandite mean to say that there were _more_ worlds than just his and mine? Before I could get my questions straightened, Mandite hoisted his backpack onto the top of his head – his unique and peculiar way for carrying it – and declared we should move forward, and take the most difficult routes through the mountains. I dropped the subject, and walked over to Aurora and roused her from her dazed lament. As I watched her walk pass me, and Mandite heading up towards the craggy mountainside, I took a deep breath. I had a feeling this journey was going to be a long, and dangerous one. And yet, I felt that at the end, there is going to be a great accomplishment. Whose? I don't know – all I hope for it is our accomplishment and not the fortune cookie's. I followed after Aurora, and braced myself for the hard trek ahead.

~*~

It was dark, with only the starlight, the campfire, and Mandite's eyes lighting up the night. We had finally stopped our hike for a well-deserved, and highly needed rest. Already, we had crossed a canyon, climbed two mountains, and scrambled through a cave in nine hours, searching all the while for an elusive portal. After eating our fill, we began to nod off to sleep. But before that, I wanted to ask Mandite a few questions that had bothered me for a while.

"Mandite?" I asked the young warrior. A dreary yellow eye opened in the dark.

"Hmm?" he answered.

"In the world that you live in," I continued, "how many species are there?" Mandite exhaled sharply in amusement.

"Millions, billions of species," he laughed, his eye closing again.

"What do you call your species?" I asked. Both of Mandite's eyes opened, and faced me directly, two yellow ovals in the dark. There was a sudden, sad tilt of his lids over his eyes that surprised me.

"I don't know," he said quietly, "I think I am the only one." I felt my own eyes widen from shock.

"But," I stumbled over my words, "you uncle -"

"Uncle Tally _adopted_ me – he's not my blood uncle." Mandite said, his voice becoming even more depressed, his eyes gazing away. I began to wish that I haven't even started this conversation.

"So," I said, "what species is Uncle Tally, then?"

"Rat," he said, "and part something else – he told me long ago and I can't remember." I was about to ask what was a rat, but Mandite sounded to pained to talk about it. Instead, I asked,

"Are you sure you're the only one of you?" Mandite looked directly at me again.

"Well," he sighed, "there actually may be another guy – I don't know."

"Do you know his name?" I asked. Mandite blinked.

"His name was Kirby," he said, "but he wasn't blue like me, nor he had wings – he was cotton candy pink with red feet and markings. When I met him, he was only a baby, really – but he fought like no tomorrow."

"The last time I saw him, he was chasing after this treasure box," he continued, "and that was that." Mandite's eyes closed, and he sighed. Poor kid, I thought, all alone in the world. I wonder what happened to Uncle Tally? I wanted to know, but I guess that Mandite had enough for today. I watched him fall asleep as I waited for sleep to wash over me. Suddenly, I heard a shuffling noise, and I looked over to see Aurora sit next to me. Surprised, I said,

"I thought you were asleep," Aurora shook her head.

"I can't," she said wearily. I could tell she was deeply affected by something, for she usually fell asleep easily.

"You miss Zhoke, don't you?" I asked, perhaps redundantly. It was obvious enough she missed the blaziken, but I guess provided some comfort. She nodded.

"I wanted to talk to someone," Aurora said, hugging her knees, "anyone," I looked at her, with hurt welling up in my heart. I still missed her, somehow.

"I feel alone," she said, "even though you and Mandite are here." I nodded. So do I, I thought. I blinked, trying my best to keep my feelings from overflowing and exposed.

"You can talk to me," I offered kindly. Aurora looked up at me with her magenta, flame filled teardrops.

"I thought you were mad at me, still," she said sadly, looking away at the ground. I felt my eyes widen, feeling very surprised and bewildered.

"I never was mad at you Aurora," I said, using a paw to gently tilt her chin so she could see that I was being sincere, "I was only anxious and frustrated, that's all." Aurora blinked, and broke eye contact, and sighed. We sat there in silence for a while, before Aurora decided to change the topic.

"Where did you grow up?" she asked curiously, "You never talked about where you lived as a riolu." I leaned back a little, thinking.

"I grew up by the sea," I told her, "that's why I can swim."

"What was it like, where you lived?" Aurora asked eagerly. I smiled.

"It was sandy, and the sky stretched on and on over a vast blue sea, with little white plumes of foam rocking with the tide." I said, closing my eyes and imagining, "there is the constant, calming sound of the water washing itself on the shore, and the sun is warm. Sometimes, when the sun goes down, there is the most beautiful sunset ever imaginable – there are pinks, golds, blues, reds, all streaked in the sky as one, amazing painting." I breathed, reminiscing with fond memories of my childhood. I opened my eyes and looked down at Aurora, who had been imagining the scene of my childhood home with me.

"Can we go there, someday?" she asked. I smiled, not knowing when or how after when this expedition was over, but her voice was so soft and pleading, like when she was younger, I couldn't help but smile.

"Maybe," I said, "perhaps you can go yourself with Zhoke, just you two." To my surprise, Aurora shook her head.

"That would be nice," she said, "but I imagined it was just you and me and Mandite – I think it would be nicer if I went with my friends first." My heart ruffled its tattered wings in confusion, and in delight.

"Besides," Aurora laughed, "Zhoke is not exactly the guy who loves the water." I felt myself laugh as well, knowing full well that fire-types was not too fond of the water. Our laughs faded to chuckles, both of us thinking about our own memories and dreams, with me feeling pleasantly content.

"What do your parents look like?" she asked, a while after her laughs faded away altogether. I thought hard, trying to remember and describe what they look like.

"I can't really describe how my mother looked like – basically, she looked like a lucario, except she always had a soft smile," I said, "and my father basically looks like me – or more of I look like my father." Aurora laughed.

"Well, you must have a pretty handsome father, then," she said, smiling. I was shocked, and I felt my face flush with heat. Aurora suddenly realized what she had said, and quickly stammered,

"I meant that as a compliment," she coughed, "to you – and your father," I felt another rush of hot blood heat my face, and I looked away. Aurora seemed equally as embarrassed, keeping awkwardly quiet. She finally let out a laugh, and I looked back at her, my face cooling.

"It's funny," she said, "I am glad that Zhoke wasn't here, now, or else he would have heard that and took it the wrong way." I laughed, too.

"He would be mad, I bet," I said, smiling, and Aurora laughed again, her gentle voice floating to the stars above.

"He would be _very_ mad," she said, and smiled at me, her eyes flickering and sparkling. Looking at those eyes, the ones that I fell in love with so long ago, made me feel sad that I could never be any closer to Aurora than this. Something broke inside me, and I closed my eyes, and sighed, bowing my head.

"Lucario," I heard Aurora's soft voice by my ear, "what's wrong?" I opened my eyes and looked at her, smiling painfully.

"Don't worry about me, Aurora," I said to her, "I'll be fine."

At least I hope so.

* * *

**Real sorry for the delay, readers! I finally got it done (I hope it is worthy enough for you guys), but I won't be able to update again until I finish my school projects - a bummer for me.**

**Yay or Nay? Rate and Review, as always! Thanks! ^^  
**


	12. Chapter 12

"Good morning, hooligan!" I opened my eyes to see two sharp yellow ones gazing back at me, and I yelped from surprise, jumping back. Mandite chuckled; right now, he was hanging from a precarious vantage point from the ceiling of the cliff overhanging me. He kept his cape neatly wrapped around his body to keep it from unraveling and hanging upside down along with him.

"'Bout time you woke up," he snickered, his eyes glowing in the early morning darkness, "what did you do after I fell asleep, party?" I groaned and touched my head, thinking. I couldn't fall asleep the night before, after Aurora had said good night; I was sifting through my thoughts too long and too deeply once again, and it had taken its toll.

"No," I said, "it's just..."

"Well hurry up, it's nearly sunrise! You have to get up and at 'em!" I watched him flip over in the air, and land neatly on the ground. Hopefully, the morning light will come soon, and Mandite's will once again be green – right now, luminescent, yellow ovals bobbed up and down, sometimes frightening me.

"AAAAAAAUROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Mandite had hopped over by Aurora and yelled into her ear. The lucario bolted upright, her eyes flung open wide and fur standing on end. Mandite cackled, and Aurora glared back, not appreciating the sudden wake-up call too much. She rubbed the side of her head, wincing.

"Mandite," she growled, "_don't_ do that!" Mandite sighed, smiling in the dark.

"Why not?" he replied, walking away to put on his armor, "It's funny!"

"It is _not_ funny!" Aurora huffed. Mandite, who was settling a shoulder plate on himself, looked up, his eyes tilted sadly.

"You're right, Aurora," he sighed, his eyes suddenly flashing pink, "it's hilarious!" Mandite snickered as Aurora sighed with exasperation, fitting his mask neatly onto his face, reassuringly tapping it. I chuckled, and got to my feet. The sun was breaking over the sharp horizon, made lofty by the snow-capped peaks of the mountains. The white snow was turning a soft, gold hue as the bright disc slowly made its way, climbing the rocky slopes.

"Sunrise already?" Mandite gasped, "We have to get going!" I knew we were in a tight situation, with an anonymous danger lurking behind us, but so soon?

"Why are you in such a hurry?" I asked. Mandite, who had been busy fixing his mask into a comfortable fit, turned around, his yellow eyes flashing.

"I dunno," he said, quickly, "I just have this bad feeling about that thing over there." He pointed to somewhere behind me. I turned around to see what threat he mentioned, and instead of seeing a pokemon as I expected, I saw a large boulder. Its wobbly perch upon a rather small pillar of rock made me uneasy.

"I see it budging a bit," Mandite said, squinting slightly, "c'mon, before that thing squishes us to paper." Mandite, Aurora and I hurried along, keeping a wary eye on the rock.

Once we were safely away from the danger zone, we slowed our paces, and began to look for hints of a portal, scouring the rocky terrain for a glint of gold, or strong energy signatures. Climbing over craggy cliff sides, I thought about the location of our final destination. The final destination would be the last place to look, but exactly where? I squinted, watching the clouds overhead cast great shadows along the sides of the mountain. How far will this journey take us? How long will it take to finish it? What will happen in the end? So many questions and more, none of which I do not know an answer to, yet. I only hope that they would be answered before it was too late – whenever that is.

I decided that I will have some of the more important questions determined now. I headed back down to the small, barely-worn path, where Mandite was studying a map. The shards of loose stone clattered, falling down towards the bottom, where they will lay still until the next, daunting traveler to disturb. I walked in front of Mandite, and watched him study his map for a few seconds, thinking the question over.

"Mandite?" I asked. Mandite lowered his map so only the top of his eyes peered over the brim with a questioning look.

"Don't tell me you want a fortune cookie," he muttered.

"I am not," I chuckled, "I just want to know how far are we going to find a portal, exactly?" Mandite lowered the map farther, and tapped the side of his mask thoughtfully.

"Hmm," he said, "how far do you think we should go?" At this point, I was shocked and perplexed by this statement. Was he not the expert on portals and other-world transportation and crossings?

"Mandite," I said earnestly, "you do realize that I am rather unfamiliar about the subject of portals, do you?" Mandite held his map up to his face again.

"Nope," he said nonchalantly. I rolled my eyes, knowing that he was only joking. The little blue warrior folded the map, neatly creasing it into even segments before tucking it away in his backpack. He looked up at me, his yellow eyes flashing.

"You do realize that you know more about this place than I do," he said, "do you?" Mandite did have a point – this is my homeland, so I knew what was the common road, and what was the path less traveled by. With this knowledge, I was the one who was granted the decision where to end this journey. Despite this "honor", I felt rather nervous. I did not want this honor, in fact – I may decide to take the wrong route, or pick the wrong place to end our voyage. This responsibility was nerving me, and yet, it must be done. Thinking back to my conversation with Aurora last night, I remembered I promised I would take her to the place where I have grown, and show her around. Since there was no time to let her tour the seashore after the journey was over due to the fact we have failed and no longer lived, or she returned to Zhoke, or Mandite had safely returned home, I decided the best way to fulfill my promise to my friend, and love, was to make the coast the end of the journey. I sighed heavily – I only hope that it was a good decision.

"Mandite," I called to him. Mandite, who had busied himself with a cookie, slipping the sweet delight into the slit of his mask, looked up to the sound of his name.

"What?" he asked, his voice somewhat muffled by his cookie, "Oh, excuse me." Mandite swallowed, and coughed, minding his manners.

"What?" he asked again.

"I think I have an idea for the final destination," I said, and Mandite gave a sideways glance, his arms folded.

"You _think, _or you _know?_" he asked me. I hesitated answering this question.

"I think, I suppose," I answered, not sure of myself. Mandite exhaled sharply, and turned away from me.

"Then I don't wanna hear it," he said, trying his best to stick his nonexistent nose into the air. I could only chuckle, knowing the answer he demanded.

"Fine, I _know_ where the final destination is," Mandite turned around, his eyes flashing a blue-white color before fading back to yellow.

"That's much better," he said, obviously satisfied, and rubbed his hands together.

"So," Mandite said, "what wondrous lala-land are we going to?" I chuckled to myself – Mandite had a way to make talk interesting.

"We are going to the western seaside of Sinnoh, where I grew up." I said.

"Oh," Mandite said, nodding, "_that_ lala-land – nice choice." I was not too sure whether or not Mandite was being sarcastic or not – he usually made his sarcasm obvious, but he is using silly terms for a serious situation. But then again, he is the typical person who compares his eyes to bananas while under attack. Mandite, at this moment, seemed to realize why I was being so silent.

"I really meant it, you know," he said, raising his hands, "as I said, portals can be found in or around water – plus, I always take portals by the beach." I nodded in response.

"Well," Mandite said, looking at me from top to bottom, and then back to top, "you're gonna have to lead the way; I don't know where the heck your little Bahamas are."

"Bahamas?" I asked, not understanding.

"Never mind," Mandite said, waving his hand to dismiss the subject before hoisting his backpack onto his head. By now, Aurora was making her way towards us. Mandite turned, facing her, the stray straps on his backpack swinging over his yellow eyes.

"Found anything?" he called out, and Aurora shook her head.

"Only rocks," she replied, skidding down a smooth face of rock before trotting to a stop in front of us. Mandite looked at me, and then back at Aurora.

"Well," he said, "Lucario made a brilliant decision, today," Aurora looked up at me, her eyebrow raised, mouth curved in half-smile position.

"Oh really," she said, "what?"

"He said we should go to the beach!" Mandite said happily, flapping his arms. Aurora, who was watching Mandite, looked up at me, her eyes brightening.

"You mean we get to see where you grew up?" she asked. I smiled, knowing that's what she wanted, and knowing that I am granting that wish.

"Yepsters!" Mandite answered for me, and Aurora broke out into her full, broad, beautiful smile. My heart stirred at the sight of it, rustling its tattered wings in pleasure. I stood there, smiling back, and watching the fire in her eyes dance wildly in her magenta eyes.

"Um," Mandite interrupted, shifting awkwardly on his feet, "staring deeply into each other's eyes is not get us anywhere, just to let you guys know." I blinked, and turned away. I really did not intend for that to happen, but it did. My face was getting warm, and silently, I pushed my way to the front of the two, and walked on, doing my best to remember the path that led me home. But as I thought, I couldn't help but drift to the thought of Aurora, and her being here with me – I mean us. Truthfully, I think I should let go of Aurora, and break away from her to avoid anymore of the pain I have been inflicting myself ever since she fell for Zhoke. What is the point of loving someone when that special person loves another that loves her in return? It's hopeless, and stupid. Maybe, one day, another special somebody would come along who would love me, and I would love her – maybe. I cannot go on in this hopeless situation anymore. As I said, it's stupid. Walking along, kicking a stray stone from my path, I thought long and deep about whether or not I should just stop this madness over Aurora. The two behind me never seemed to notice my silence, for they were discussing something. In fact, the two were earnestly whispering behind my back, sometimes glancing up at me and nodding before whispering again. What were they doing? Were they plotting something against me? I growled underneath my breath – couldn't I trust _anyone_ these days? I should have left Aurora in the first place eight years ago, and I would have been perfectly fine. I was stupid to let anyone be that close to me.

Looking up at the sun overhead, it reminded me of a long, distant memory of when I was a riolu. Like that day, today was deep into summer, and the sun seemed to hang endlessly overhead. That day was important, but I couldn't exactly remember what was it. I was about to turn around and ask Aurora, knowing that she kept important dates in mind when I remembered I was to loose my loving bond with her, so I didn't ask. I kept trekking on, looking for any sight of a portal, walking on in silence while listening to the two behind me.

When it was time to break for lunch, it was high in the mountains, away from the shade of the trees. The rocks and stones, baked by the relentless sun, were scorching hot, so I stood away from the two, keeping distance and eating nothing. Now, I did not want to do anything with them. However, being very observant, Mandite noticed the distance between us. He nudged Aurora in the side, and gestured towards me, in which she stood up, and started to walk. I turned away, my arms folded, gazing out at the landscape. I heard Aurora's footsteps stop behind me.

"Lucario," she said, trying to get my attention, but I stubbornly kept my vigil. I heard her sigh, and touch me gently on the shoulder.

"I don't know what's wrong with you today," she said, "but I just want to wish you a happy birthday – we both do." And she pressed her cheek against mine, which was slightly damp from what I smelled was a teardrop, and left. I blinked, and felt tears pushing against the edges of my eyes. Somehow, I can't let go of Aurora, no matter how much I try. I felt as though I had been very rude to her, not answering her at all. Did I hurt her feelings? I turned my head around to look at the two, eating together. I sighed – how am I going to deal with this? Apology was hard to come by for me, but I guess it's better than trying to deal with my painful solitude. I realized that I needed social support more than ever, if I am to deal with my emotional instability, and the responsibility of bringing Mandite home. The longer I wait, the more awkward and fractured the bonds between me and the other two will become. I could not bear it any longer, so I found myself walking up to them. Mandite and Aurora turned to me, and looked on silently. Aurora only looked up expressionless, but Mandite gave me chills; he sat there, glaring up at me, his mask creating a very threatening appearance for his rather stiff body. Was he angry with me? He may be a seven year old, but it is easy to forget about that when he had his mask one, and when he is looking at me like that. Mandite huffed, and continued to glare at me, his eyes boring deep into my skull. This feeling was nerving me greatly, so I decided to end it as quickly as I could and see the results for myself.

"I just want to say I am sorry, for showing a cold shoulder as oppose to what I should do as a friend." I began, my voice wavering as I looked on at the two, "I guess I was just suffering emotional difficulties."

"But I realize that I shouldn't pass on my hardships to you guys, because I am the only one who should be suffering – not you two." I took a deep breath, and closed my eyes.

"Now I realize that I need the companionship of friends more than ever, to deal with this pain and the stresses of bringing Mandite safely home. It was wrong of me to shun you two away, especially you, Aurora," I had opened my eyes to look at her own, "you have been my best friend ever since I found you so many years ago." I felt tears coming back to my eyes, and I closed them, forcing them away.

"I am sorry," I said, and opened my eyes, to see they're response. Aurora looked like she was about to cry. Mandite, however, gave a deep sigh, shifting in his seat.

"Well," he said in the silence, "I thought you were gonna ask for a cookie instead." And we broke out into laughter.

~*~

It was later in the evening, when we decided we were done searching for today. Instead of resting as we usually did, Mandite insisted that we must have some sort of birthday celebration for me, which was the important event that I had forgotten about earlier.

"I am going to make you a cake!" Mandite declared happily, "It will be a glorious cake!" He had taken off his armor at that point, and was waving his wings rapidly in the air from sheer excitement. Our encampment was posted by a mountain spring, its waters providing clear, cold water that quenched our thirst. Mandite started to march around in it, kicking up water in sprays of utter delight. I stood in front of the fire, warily watching Mandite marching jauntily, proclaiming to make a stupendous cake, but without actually settling down to make one. I chuckled to myself; children can be rather funny at times. I felt a gentle nudge at my side, and I turned to look at Aurora, who was smiling up at me, hands behind her back.

"It's not really that much," she said, pulling a broken fortune cookie from behind her back, "but I couldn't find anything else." She placed the little gift in my paw and used hers to close mine around it. I looked down at my paw, holding my present, and up at her.

"You don't need to give me anything, Aurora," I said, smiling. All I really needed was for her just to be there in my presence, that's all. She smiled back, rocking on her feet slightly. Knowing that she was expecting me to open the her little gift, I opened my paw and began tore through the plastic wrappings. I pulled the two halves of the cookie, and offered Aurora one.

"I can't take your present," she said, shaking her head.

"I find it better to share my present with someone," I said smiling, and placed the half in her paws. She looked at it, guilt washing around in her eyes.

"Go on," I insisted, and Aurora brought it to her mouth, and took a bite. She smiled herself, closing her eyes. Looking back at my half of the cookie, with it's slip of paper hanging from it, I realized how easy it was to be comfortable and loving with Aurora. But I can't let that happen. I pulled the paper from the cookie, and realized there were two. I read the first one.

_Good choice today – we think alike._

I had a feeling it was the same person who wrote the other fortune, but at least I was on good terms now – I hope. I read the second one.

_I heard it was your birthday today! Happy birthday, Lucario! =D_

_~ Jirachi_

This one I was more amazed with – I have received a personal greeting from a legendary pokemon! I smiled and gave it to Aurora to read.

"Wow," she said, after looking at that slip of paper, "you are one lucky guy." She gave me a quick smile before casting her eyes off to the side, sadly.

"I guess you don't need my present anymore, now that you have that." she said wearily. I raised my eyebrows, and shook my head.

"Aurora," I said softly, using a gentle paw to tilt her chin to look at me, "No one gives better presents than you do."

"What about me?!" I heard Mandite from the spring, exaggerating the sound of a broken hearted soul. I chuckled.

"You too, Mandite," and Mandite, being pleased with my answer, went off to splash around in the water some more. Aurora laughed, shaking her head, and sat down. I sat down beside her, popping my half of the cookie in my mouth. Now that Mandite has moved far enough away from the fire to present no harm, I did not have to worry as much. Aurora rubbed her arms, and looked up at the sky.

"It's funny," she said, "I can act like myself around you two but I cannot around Zhoke." I felt surprised, stopping the chewing of my cookie, and looked up at Aurora with disbelief, who smiled bashfully.

"I have to be careful of what I say or do around him," she said, "he gets offended pretty easily, and his temper is as hot as his fire." I nodded, understanding her situation with Zhoke. Aurora shook her head and laid it upon the tops of her knees, smiling.

"I love Zhoke, don't get me wrong," she said, "but sometimes it's nice to be yourself again, and to be with your friends." she looked up at me, her eyes sparkling. I tried to smile, but my internal pain kept me from doing so. I closed my eyes, and sighed. Aurora sat up.

"Lucario," she asked, "what's wrong?" I opened my eyes and looked at her, the moment of intense pain passing.

"It's nothing for you to be concerned about, Aurora," I said, trying my best to smile. Aurora frowned.

"Lucario," she said softly, "I'm your friend, you can tell me." I blinked; she doesn't know that this was about her instead of someone else – I can't tell her. I shook my head.

"Aurora," I said slowly, "it's better for you not to know."

"Are you keeping a secret from me?" she asked.

"Secrets are only fun when they're shared with everyone!" I heard Mandite call from the water's edge. I did not look up to see what he was doing. Somehow, he could hear me talking softly while he was far enough from us to be out of his hearing range, but I know that Mandite could lip-read at farther distances. I closed my mouth tight.

_[Aurora,]_ I told her telepathically, _[my secrets are not meant for your ears.]_

_[Why not?]_ she asked me. I sighed.

_[They just don't, all right?]_ I said, _[They are filled with pain, suffering, and loneliness, and I don't want you to feel the same way.]_ Aurora looked at me with one of her heartbreaking gazes.

_[I never knew you felt that way,]_ she said, her eyes widening, _[Lucario... I... I am sorry I never realized until now. Are you going to get any better?]_ Was I? At this rate, it looks like I'll never recover from heartbreak, but I don't want Aurora to worry.

_[I hope so,]_ I answered,_ [it just takes time.]_ Aurora nodded, breathing deeply.

_[Would you... would you like a hug?]_ she asked me.

_[A what?]_

_[A hug,]_ Aurora replied softly. I blinked in surprise.

_[Oh,]_ I said, _[I don't know...]_ But Aurora had already wrapped her arms around me, and pressed her muzzle gently underneath my chin. Surprised by this gesture, I felt myself do nothing except blush. I was embarrassed slightly, but it was a form of comfort, which I needed now. Thinking back on the nigh before, I smiled and stroked Aurora's arm once to get her attention. She looked up.

_[Are you still glad that Zhoke isn't here right now?] _Aurora grinned.

_[He would be furious with me,]_ she said, _[but I felt that you needed a hug.]_ She closed her eyes and leaned her head against my shoulder. Looking down on her, I think Aurora herself needed a hug, too. Here she was, alone and pining for her lover far away, missing his company. Understanding this need, I allowed her to rest there, against me, until she decided to let go. I patted her back with a paw, looking up at the stars. It was funny how we were so close, sitting here with each other comfortably, and yet so far away. We could never be together again, I know that – but for now, I enjoyed this moment, sitting here with Aurora like how I wished things could be.

"HEY!" We both looked up to the sudden shout of Mandite on the other side of the spring. He was jumping and waving, gesturing us to come over to where he was. Reluctantly, I let the arm wrapped around Aurora fall to my side, and stood up. I helped Aurora to her feet, and then walked across a shallow stream to the other side, where Mandite was. Aurora followed in suit.

"Look what I made!" Mandite said gleefully. I looked down, and saw before me an array of stones and pebbles in the formation of some sort of cake with candles on top. At the tip of every candle was a small campfire, seventeen groups of flames in total.

"Make a wish," he said, and I looked at him, not understanding his birthday traditions. Mandite realized this, and rolled his eyes.

"You're supposed to blow them out," he said, "go on," Hesitantly, I went up to one of the lit piles of twigs. I am not sure if I could blow this out so easily, but I bent down, and blew on it gently. The flames only wavered slightly. I looked around at the other sixteen fires, and sighed. This was going to take a while.

Suddenly, I felt a could surge hit my back, and all of the flames were doused out by cold spring water. I stood up, and turned around, my fur dripping. Mandite, who was holding his cape, standing by the spring, jumped back slightly.

"I just thought that might help – a bit." he said, blinking. I snorted, and shook my head.

What a day this has been.

* * *

**Well, here is chapter 12, finally! I am REALLY sorry for the long wait - I had a writer's block. I hope this is good enough for you guys.**

**Rate and Review, as always! ^^ Thanks!**

**~KOOZ  
**


	13. Chapter 13

The weather next morning did not look favorable in our perspective. The sky was overcast with rolling and tumbling dark clouds, the smell of rain heavy in the air. Judging by the size of the oncoming forbearing blanket of rain, I could tell that this was not going to be a light drizzle. Mandite noticed it too, as he fitted himself into armor.

"C'mon," he said, hoisting his backpack onto his head, "before the rain catches up to us – we want to cover as much ground as possible." Aurora and I followed Mandite's ascent up yet another mountain top. The rocky slopes were barren, devoid of life and anything but us and the rock that constructed it. We cleared the peak and began our descent, carefully watching each other's footsteps to ensure that someone will be aware if one of us slipped and could do something about it. It was a rather steep decline, and harsh on the feet. Wincing from the pain on the bottom of my feet, I began to envy Mandite's protective shoes. Even worse, the first drops of the rain fell, making the ground slippery and dangerous. But, all three of us being very adept to such difficulties, kept skidding down the mountain side. I glanced at the other two to make sure they were doing fine; Mandite could practically roll down the mountain if he fell, or use his cape to transport himself down to the bottom of this mountain if he slipped, so I suppose he was all right for now. I looked back at Aurora. Her body seemed to be easily running down the mountainside, knowing what foot hold to take seemingly by pure instinct. There was no hard concentration on her part – all the maneuvers she has performed to keep herself in balance at such a slop and terrain was done like it was natural. Well, I suppose she has some reason for that – she was part of the terrestrial colony of lucarios, so they lived and traveled about the mountain ranges all their lives. I turned my gaze away to focus where I was putting my feet.

"Let's go this way," Mandite yelled to us, "I think I see something." By now, the rain had turned into a hazy drizzle, the sight around us slowly being enfolded into the hands of a gray fog. I closed my eyes, so that my aura vision can peer through the blanketing grays and see Mandite and Aurora clearly. I just have to trust Mandite to lead me down the right path, for I couldn't see rocks very well being that they did not posses aura. So, I followed Mandite's exact path across the rocky terrain. Up ahead, somewhere at a high point farther down the path Mandite was taking was a thick source of aura. I could feel the energy radiating from that powerful source.

"Mandite!" Aurora cried from behind me through the thickening rainfall. Mandite turned around, his yellow eyes peering out from the hole in his gleaming mask.

"Stop! Don't go any farther!" she cried. I could see Mandite turn around, his yellow eyes disappear, and then turned back towards us. I knew he was trying to register something in his mind.

"It will support me for a little bit!" he called back, and before Aurora could say something else, the little warrior tossed his back pack to me, and dashed off. I caught the heavy, sodden load, and stepped to follow him.

"Lucario, don't!" I turned around to see Aurora's eyes, a firm paw on my arm. The flaming magenta fire showed great concern, and anxiety through all its dancing spectacle. The way her expression was hard, and her burning eyes were intense made me stop my movements to follow Mandite. Around us, the storm's worst was finally evident as thunder boomed throughout the mountainside. The wind was picking up, and lightning tore across the sky, but Aurora remained undaunted. She had let go of my arm to watch Mandite climb a precarious, jagged outcrop jutting from the mist towards something I could barely see through my eyes, but I felt that it was the source of aura I had seen earlier. I followed the figure up the outcropping.

"Shouldn't we help him?" I asked Aurora, who kept her eyes on Mandite.

"It's not safe," she said, "the path he takes is too weak to support neither of us." I looked at the rocky ground just beyond my feet, and realized we were standing close to the edge of a thinned cliff, in which great gashes further crippled the weak slab of stone. I stepped back a little, and then watched Mandite with greater concern. He must be careful, because I am quite sure the drop wouldn't be too pleasant for him. The figure had stopped shortly all of a sudden, and started to run back at a really fast rate. It was only seconds when we could see the gleam of Mandite's mask again, and he was yelling at us,

"GET DOWN, GET DOWN!!!!" waving his arms to signal to us to run. Just then, I could feel the ends of my fur raise and prickle. Before we had enough time to react, a bright, jagged ribbon of light shot down from the black sky and struck the ground just behind Mandite. The force from such a great power sent pieces of rock into the air. All three of us were blown back from the shock wave just as the shards of rock had. I felt myself land onto the ragged stone, and immediately rolled sideways and onto my feet. There was a sharp, stinging sensation spreading across my back as I looked around for my other two companions. Turning around, I found nothing in the dank scene. At once, I closed my eyes, and the world melted to darkness, with hints of blue here and there. Again, I scanned the sight, and this time, I found a figure lying still on the ground below the ledge I was standing on. Oh no...

"Aurora!" I leaped down, landing on my two feet, and ran towards her. Just beyond me, I saw her stir. I reopened my eyes, and knelt beside Aurora, whose magenta eyes were flickering brightly in the gloom, her face contorted with pain.

"Aurora," I panted, relieved to know she was alive, "are you hurt?"

"Where's Mandite?" she asked feebly, ignoring my question. I was about to answer that I didn't know yet, but the way her eyes demanded to know how Mandite was as soon as possible made me change my answer.

"I'll find him," I answered patting her paw reassuringly, "stay here." And, as promised, I got up, and started my search for Mandite. Luckily for me, it didn't take too long. I was running across the edge of a crevice in the mountain when I heard a loud voice call to me.

"Where have _you_ been?!" I turned around to see Mandite running behind me, "I was looking all over for you!" The puffball caught up to me, readjusting his mask.

"Now," he said, his breathing somewhat labored, "where's Aurora?"

"Back there," I gestured with a jerk of my head, "follow me." And so we ran back to where Aurora was trying to get back to her feet. As we came closer, I could tell something was wrong. As soon as Aurora tried to stand, she crumbled back down with a pained wail.

"She must've hurt her foot or something," Mandite muttered, as soon as he saw that. When I reached her side, I could here soft whimpers coming from her as she lay curled up on the cold, rough ground, with one foot sticking out in an awkward position. I knelt down by her side, and gently coaxed her to lay on the ground straight, facing up. Her left foot was painfully twisted so that it pointed inwards, touching the heel of her right foot.

"We gotta find some cover," Mandite said, turning around so he got a good scan of the place, "I'll go and come back when I find something, okay? Stay here." Mandite dropped his backpack (in which he recovered after the lightning strike) on the ground beside me, and took off, quickly running out of sight. I blinked some rainwater from my eyes, and took the backpack to use to prop Aurora's head up. I then crawled over to her injured foot for a better look at it. I took it delicately with my two paws and examined it.

"How did this happen?" I asked her, looking up to see her face. Aurora sat up, using her two arms to support herself. Lightning from the sky illuminated the shadowed area of her pained expression.

"I fell on it," she said, gritting her teeth and wincing. I placed her foot down slowly and carefully.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" I asked crawling back over to her side. Aurora glanced down at her body briefly, and then looked up at me.

"I don't think so," she replied, and leaned back on the backpack again. My paw reached out for hers, and Aurora took it, squeezing it from pain. At that moment, our eyes locked in on each other's, for once in a long time actually looking beyond just the pupils and into each other's feelings. It was truly by accident, but the outcome was an intense moment, not delicate as of before in which the rustle of leaves from the sighs of a zephyr could disturb it. There was thunder ravaging around us, and pelting rain against our fur. I don't know why I or she didn't look away, but we kept gazing without knowing what purpose it had in such action. My heart stirred within the depths of my feelings, but I didn't say a word. At the moment, I was too consumed by staring at Aurora's eyes, the flickering patterns puzzling me. Somehow, I could tell something was affecting her greatly, suddenly looking at me with some great, wide-eyed emotion. I don't know how to describe what I saw in those beautiful eyes, nor the confused feeling I felt when I saw that expression. Finally, I tore the chains that had my vision locked with hers, bowing my head to think, and so that Aurora couldn't see that I was embarrassed. At the current, there was no time for awkward silences for long pauses to reflect – Aurora was injured, and we were both soaked to the skin, our blue, black, and cream colored furs heavily weighted down with rain. I probably looked rather silly at the moment, come to think of it, with my fur all disarrayed and drooping. Aurora, on the other hand, seemed to be just as lovely as any other perfect day. Realizing that my mind had wandered again, I snapped my focus back to Aurora's condition.

"Is there anything I can do?" I asked her. Aurora looked up at me, and I saw a glimpse in her eyes that made a clouding effect. Light, pink hues of smoke quickly frosted Aurora's eyes with swirling mist. Just as quickly as it came, it disappeared from view, engulfed by the regular fuchsia brand of fire. The expression she wore on her face made it impossible to tell how she felt at the moment – I couldn't even get a clue if she was feeling happy, sad, or anything at all. It wasn't a blank look, but I couldn't link it with any emotion at all. Aurora's face was set like that for the briefest instant, before she blinked and she looked quizzically at me.

"I don't know," she answered softly, "it's only my foot..."

"HEY!" My ears pricked up to the sound of a voice I longed to hear, for the voice would bring tidings of a dryer location and aid for Aurora. Mandite was running towards us, without his armor on.

"I found a cave," he called, stopping short to retrieve his backpack from under Aurora's head before turning around and running back, "follow me!"

"Well, wait up!" Aurora called back to Mandite, in which the little warrior replied in an inaudible shout through the deafening storm. I knelt on one knee, and scooped Aurora up the best I could without hurting her. I stood up, and looked down at her wide-eyed face. It would be difficult to remain somewhat agile with the use of two arms if I carried her like this.

"It may be better if you would hang on to my shoulders instead," I said, and Aurora nodded in agreement. I helped her move onto my back, where she wrapped both of her arms around my neck. I winced a little – the spike on her chest was poking uncomfortably into my back.

"Could you possibly leave a little space between..." Aurora knew what I was talking about. She used her knees to hold tight to my sides so she could lean back a little. The piercing feeling subsided, and I began to run down the side of the mountain, where Mandite had waited for us. Careful with Aurora's hurt foot, I followed Mandite across a ledge overlooking a narrow ravine, and up a pile of rocks that had fallen from the top of the mountain and lain to rest here. The three of us passed into a narrow crevice split in the great mountain. The tight walls, shiny, cold, and wet from the downpour, soon opened up to form a more spacious crater, with high, protective boundaries of stone. I stared upwards, feeling very small compared to the surrounding, towering walls.

"In here!" Mandite hissed, gesturing with a wave of his hand, and turned back. The child trotted over to where the collected rain ran down over the edge of an overhang, creating a tiny waterfall. Mandite went through the water and disappeared. I watched that spot for a while, not knowing what to do; cautiously, I approached, with Aurora still clinging to my back.

"Well," I heard Mandite's voice echo out from behind the smooth sheet of liquid, "what are you waiting for? It's perfectly dry here!" With that said, I bent down and passed underneath the cool, flowing boundary and set foot of cold but dry stone, worn smooth by water long ago. Perhaps it wasn't the most inviting place in the world; the cave ceiling was so low that I couldn't stand straight in it, and the whole place was succumbed by cold, heavy shadows. However, for the weary and wet travelers, this was perfectly fine. Before settling down to sit on the cold floor, Mandite performed the water-transporting technique with his cape, making each landing perfect and exiting out the cave with a flourish of his cape. Now that we and the rest of the belongings were nice and dry, we felt much more comfortable, and quickly attended to Aurora. But there was a problem.

"How are you going to treat her if it is dark?" I asked, and the lids over the bobbing yellow spots flattened in an unamused tone.

"I still can see, ya know," Mandite said, "you guys have _really_ poor eyesight."

"Or you have _really_ good eyesight," Aurora countered, and Mandite didn't say anything else. I had a feeling he was musing to himself, pleased. However, I couldn't see, so I couldn't really help. That left me with a deep pit that was siphoning my feelings from me. I wanted to help, and I want to make sure Aurora would be okay. I shifted my position in seating, uncomfortably.

"Is there any way I can help?" I asked to the glowing pair of amber eyes, which was busy looking through the newly dried backpack. My ears picked up the sound of a cloth being pulled out of the backpack.

"See?" Mandite exclaimed, obviously pleased with himself, "I knew it was good to bring gauze!" The yellow eyes bobbed over to where Aurora was laid down to rest. Even though they didn't produce their own light, Aurora's eyes were exceptionally capable of magnifying and reflecting the tiniest amount of light available. Her eyes had soft, red-violet embers adrift like tiny stars sifting in deep fuchsia nebulae. I raised my head to look at Mandite. It didn't seem like he acknowledged my question earlier, so I asked again.

"Could I -"

"I heard you the first time, Lucario," Mandite said, cutting my words short, "but I have to see what kind of injury this is first." In the dim light made by the lightning outside, I could see Mandite lift Aurora's twisted foot to investigate it closely. Aurora whimpered a little – I reached out and held her paw for comfort.

"Just as I thought," Mandite muttered to himself, placing the foot down carefully while tutting in disapproval, "Lucario, you've just been hired for an important job."

"It's gonna be a tough one," Mandite warned me, his eyes flashing a bright, jade color, "are you up to it?"

"I am," I nodded sharply.

"Good," Mandite said happily, "because you were gonna do it anyways." Mandite stood at Aurora's feet, casting a long, dark shadow along the cave ground and onto the walls every time lighting broke through the sky. With determined yellow eyes, devilish wings and hands behind the back, Mandite looked extremely sinister, as if something unfortunate was bound to happen. Aurora tensed, gripping my paw tightly.

"You are supposed to relax," Mandite said gravely, staying uncannily still. Aurora whimpered again, not feeling anymore relaxed. Without a warning, Mandite started to laugh – not an evil laugh, but just his normal, sing-song laugh.

"It's not _that_ bad," he said reassuringly, "I'm not going to cut off you're foot, if that's what you're thinking. The whole process should take only a minute." With the sound of easygoing laughter warming the mood, Aurora relaxed, a small sigh of relief escaping her mouth. Mandite clapped his hands together.

"Now Lucario," Mandite instructed me, "you are going to hold Aurora so that she _cannot_ struggle." The grip on my paw tightened again, and I gave it a comforting squeeze.

"Aurora dislocated her foot," he stated matter of factly, "and it is with the utmost importance that you _must hold her down._" I stared, not sure what to think of what will come next. Mandite shot a glare at me.

"Got that?" I could only nod, and trust Mandite. He had never let us down before. I wrapped my arms around Aurora's body, and held my paws tightly together, trying to make sure that my spike wasn't prodding into her back, as I shifted her onto my lap. I realized I felt rather awkward at the moment, holding Aurora like this. I felt my face flush with blood.

"Forgive me," I whispered in her ear. I felt the soft tip of her tail mingle with my own. Too nervous to say anything, she probably meant her gesture as forgiving. Mandite, perhaps seeing the fear in her eyes or the tightness of her muscles, gave a noticeable sigh of mock impatience.

"Stay calm Aurora," he said, "or else this would never work – you're making it more complicated than it is." Aurora loosened – only a little bit.

"Okay Lucario," Mandite said to me, "I am going to pull Aurora's foot to pop it back into position, all right? Whatever you do, don't let go!" I nodded, showing him that I understood.

"I pull on the count of three, so brace yourselves" Mandite told us, picking up Aurora's foot, "One, two, thr -" The three was drowned out by Aurora's pained wail. The sound of her voice petrified my heart, and my grip slackened so that Aurora was pulled somewhat out of my grasp. Immediately, as I looked at Aurora whimpering, I knew I hadn't done my job. But now I knew how hard this task was supposed to be – now, I must grit my own teeth and hear Aurora in incredible pain without flinching.

"Lucario!" Mandite yelled as he waved his arms.

"I know, I know, Mandite!" I said, stopping the volley of rants that was about to spew, "I promise I won't let go this time." Mandite glared at me.

"I certainly hope so," he said, "Now, let's try again." Aurora seemed to shed a single tear, but no more. I helped her into her previous seat in my lap, and folded my arms tight around her once more.

"Okay," Mandite said, lifting the foot up, "One, two, thr -" Aurora cried out even louder, but this time I only held to her tighter, hoping that the foot will find its way to its socket soon. Literally a second later, there was a loud "pop!" as the ankle joint finally met again with the foot, and Aurora sighed with ease. Mandite deftly wound the ankle with a thick roll of the gauze he had brought.

"Thank you, guys," Aurora spoke softly. Mandite only shrugged his wings as he tied a firm knot.

"No problem-o," he answered, giving the wrapped ankle a reassuring pat, "now don't walk on this just yet – it still needs to heal the old-fashioned way." Aurora nodded. Gently, I set her to the side of me, so that she leaned comfortably against a boulder that found its way into the cave we were in. Now that boulder lies in shelter from the elements, just as we were now. There was not a sound, except for the tranquil rushing of the water that formed a delicate barrier from the violent world on the outside. I caught a glance from her looking at me and I quickly smiled before turning to look at a grumbling Mandite two yards away at the other end of the cave; I suppose there was a new sound to listen to.

"You guys are lucky for packaged goods," he mumbled, holding up a plastic-wrapped fortune cookie, before returning it into the bottomless gloom of the bag, "Almost all the other food is wet – thank goodness Aurora's head kept the bread dry." I suppose not all is saved from moisture by the magical cape.

I don't know how long time has passed since we had left from our nighttime establishment earlier in the day, nor the time it was in the day at current. All I knew, however long we have traveled, it had drained quite a bit on my energy. This was perhaps one of the most adventurous and eventful days this journey has seen so far. It was all exciting to the extent of fear, but next time - as I thought sympathetically about Aurora's ankle - I hope no one gets hurt. Sitting peacefully with my thoughts, myself leaning too against the boulder, I felt the day's adventure close, and rest lulled my mind. But, before I plan to close my eyes to perhaps get an hour's nap, I needed to ask Mandite something that had burned in my mind for a while.

"Mandite?" I called to him from across the cave. Even though the little warrior was at the opposite wall of our shelter, it was in the same proximity of the usual distance he sat when we gathered around the meager campfire and slept under the open sky. So, the fact Mandite was at the other side of the cave did not bother me at all. Mandite had been eating a piece of slightly soggy bread when he looked up at me.

"Hmm?" he asked, his mouth still full of wheat product, by the sound of it. I turned the question mentally in my mind.

"Before the lightning strike," I started slowly, "what were you following? What was it?" There was a long pause. Whether it was Mandite swallowing his food, or the simple act of thinking which may not have been so simple at all. I saw the yellow eyes blink once before Mandite finally spoke.

"It was a portal," he said wearily. I felt a jolt in my stomach; a portal? Could it be the very one that will take Mandite home? Not that these were happy thoughts, though – Mandite would be gone, and Aurora would go back to Zhoke. Even if my life was in danger by this journey, I am glad that I have decided to take Mandite home that one fateful night, or else such wonderful and dreadful memories of all three of us together may have never occurred. I hoped I could draw this journey out as long as I can, but Mandite is probably homesick, and Aurora wants her love, so there must be haste in my part. Thinking about this portal made me think that maybe we had ended this journey a little too soon.

"I know what you're thinking," Mandite said, with a little childish laugh, "but I won't be packing my bags and heading home just yet – that portal was sealed." Sealed?

"Even if I tried with all my might, I wouldn't be able to get through." Mandite explained, apparently seeing the question in my eyes, "This treasure-hunt isn't over yet, Lucario." It was a relief to me, to know that I still had more time with the two, but also a pain. I wonder how much longer Aurora could go on without Zhoke, and how much longer I was putting Mandite in danger? Mandite, on the other hand, didn't take the whole problem to thought, obliviously investigating what supplies had been ruined by the rain, humming some sort of tune to himself as he rummaged around his backpack. How much did he know? How much did Aurora know, I thought as I turned around to check on her. Aurora by now had fallen asleep, looking rather at home – how she felt at current might as well be another story. Her foot looked normal, asides the fact there was a bulbous white wrapping around the ankle. Her arms were folded peacefully on her stomach, which raised slowly up and down as she breathed. I smiled – at least I knew she was all right, and sleeping well.

For a long while I sat in silence and watched the shadows within the little cave wax and wane, slowly winding around each little nook and cranny. The storm outside had stopped to reveal a golden sunset that lit up the walls of the small compartment within the rock. Perhaps even more stunning was when the sunlight aligned just so with the remnant of the heavy rainfall earlier in the day so that the waterfall was transformed into falling, liquid gold, holding the brilliant radiation of the sun within a material smoother than silk. Breath-taking would be the word for it, I thought. But sadly, the moment did not last long enough for me to rouse Aurora or Mandite, whom had fallen asleep during my silent vigil.

There was not much I could do for the time being, so I decided I will go outside, to perhaps take a last glimpse of the sun before it pulled its indigo-cloud blankets for the night. I passed through the waterfall, the cool liquid slipping down my fur, and out into the clearing. Now that it was light outside, I could see the environment more clearly. In fact, it felt so clear that I was able to think with an open, fresh mind again. It was as if the rain had cleansed my thoughts, I mused. My eyes soon spotted a side of the rocky walls that I knew I could scale. And so I went, up the rocky surface with stupendous ease, my feet placed in comfortable holdings. Up and up I went, before I found my claw tips brushing the edge. With a last hoist, I climbed over to the top, where I was greeted with a sight for my sore eyes. Deep rolling valleys laid before me, and above a sky so vast and painted with streaks of pink hues, splashes of orange, spreads of gold, with the exuberant sun beams of bright light overlaying it all, each ray evident, clear, and resplendent. Along the horizon and surrounding the forested valley below, with the mist from the rain rising and curling into the air, were rugged, snowy peaks, each holding out a golden thumb, dipped with the richness of the atmosphere around them. Who knows who else may be out here, watching the sacred scene before me – if there was anyone, they didn't show themselves. So, it seemed to me, I was the only one here, me and with the high-altitude wind that combed its fingers in my fur.

For the very first time in the longest time, I was alone and truly with myself. As I stood here, I let the vigor of the past days fall, the stress of searching for a psychic phenomenon just became dust in the wind. The scent from the forest below, hinted with the moisture of wet earth filled me. Closing my eyes, I spread my arms out, and pressed my paws together pointing upward.

The start of tai chi, finally allowing my body to slow down and perform such task again with the combination of the glorious environment surrounding me, made me feel I had been reborn in some way. A new start – a new beginning. But what new day of my metaphoric year will this lead to? Maybe in time, I will know.

As for now, I am at peace.

* * *

**And now I just realize how boring this story must be - I tend to write more detailed text about the tiniest details rather than put more effort into the action. I actually put a lot of effort into the action, but I just don't know how to make it better than its sucky state right now. Hopefully, I'll learn.**

**As I have said on my profile, this story will be finished sometime before I go on vacation, which is in the month of July.**

**So... Yay or nay? Rate and Review please! **

**I give my thanks to Lupyne, King Sparky, Opengunner, Slasher Mask, and of course to my new dA readers who had the courtesy to come here: PrimeHunter01, BoltFraction, and Anime-ani-ani... Sorry I forgot! ^^;**

**And of course, I give my utmost gratitude to you, the reader! Thank you!  
**


	14. Chapter 14

That little cave neatly tucked away in the mountains became a resting place for a week. All of us had realized that the rush to find portals day after day was irksome for the mind. That week, as Aurora's foot healed, we refreshed our thoughts and ourselves. Aurora would stay in the cave, as Mandite and I explore the area, partially trying to find out approximately where we stood, partially looking for food, but mainly just to have some entertaining recreation. In fact, we barely spent any time inside the cave at all during daylight hours. I can guess Aurora is feeling very envious of the two of us, but she hasn't uttered a complaint.

Both Mandite and Aurora agreed that by now her foot had healed so that she can climb the rigorous mountain tops again. I wasn't so sure, thinking that the healing period was too quick, but Mandite assured me that she was fine. So, this day was the last day here in this glorious haven, and I am going to spend it wisely.

Early morning. It is just before sunrise, judging by the soft, pink light in the sky, with wisps of cirrus clouds spun of loose threads of silver and gold scattered as snippets of a fine cape tossed into the morning by the sun. Looking around, my eyes awakening, I only saw that Aurora was present, and was still peacefully sleeping – just as I expected. Mandite likes to go out three hours before sunrise to do some twilight expeditions. I crawled out from the dark, cool den – the waterfall was gone by the second night – and breathed the clear, alpine air. Each breath was new, and fresh, enlightening the soul with the simplicity of it. I climbed the wall again, reaching the top in record time. Again, I was lovingly embraced with nature's best. Every time I look around at the great, yawning valleys, and majestic peaks with the air of mystique, I have a feeling that this place was as close to something as sacred and holy. Perhaps not quite as holy as Mount Coronet, but close to that.

"Hey!" I turned to the right to see Mandite coming up the ridge, flapping his wings excitedly. Having his armor safely kept with Aurora, he was free to show the splendor of his childish face, and the incredible glee it radiated now.

"Hurry!" He panted, not giving me any chance for me to speak, "I found something I need to show you!" And, with that said, the little warrior ran down the ridge again. Wondering what this something was, I followed Mandite, the speed of my run and sheer joy of feeling so free and light was exhilarating. For a long distance along the backbone of the mountain chain, Mandite and I sped along. Only when we reached a rocky spire, scarcely patched with alpine grass, was when Mandite finally stopped. My feet slowed down to a trot, and finally stood still. Mandite eagerly looked back at me.

"He's up there," Mandite whispered, pointing to the top of the pillar. At that point, the sun had risen high enough that it peaked over the top of the rock spire, blinding the view of the being. But I smelled the pokemon, and I had a bad feeling about it.

"This is him?" I heard a deep, raspy voice from atop the pillar. I suddenly realized that Mandite brought me here because this pokemon asked him to. I did not like the sound of that.

"That's him," Mandite said plainly. There was a growl, and the dark silhouette leaped into the air. The pokemon landed on its four powerful feet, three claws on each feet sinking into the rock. The wind at this high altitude blew through the pokemon's long, white fur, waving constantly. His eyes were deeply colored garnets set into a face of smoky gray, cast in shadow. The face had a brooding look, and one that foretold a disaster that made me fear for my friends.

Ironically, it was the Disaster Pokemon. There, standing strongly before me, was an absol. His eyes flashed darkly.

"There is nothing to fear, Lucario," he said in his husky voice, "I do not bring danger – I only bear the news of it." I stood, not knowing what to say.

"My name is Dhenalix," the absol continued, "and I bring a message to you from a Legendary," I was succumbed to shock – a Legendary pokemon had a message for me?

"Would you consider it to be important?" I asked him, and the absol narrowed its eyes, giving a glance at Mandite, who was merely interested in the shapes of the clouds that flew overhead. I realized that it was a legendary pokemon who wanted Mandite to get back to his own world, and had a message for me.

"I would think so," he answered gravely, "he fears that there are more than enough alien species in this dimension."

"Why couldn't he speak directly to me if he really had a problem?" I asked him, and the absol's red eyes widened. I never really meant for the question to be offensive, but it seemed Dhenalix took it that way. He pawed the ground anxiously and hissed.

"It is not wise to mess with Death," he warned, growling in a heavy undertone, "especially when he says that you should look before you leap." With those words, I felt like a massive stone had crushed me – Death was mentioned as a being. To make matters worse, I had just realized that the Lord of the Dead had been watching me all this time. And, if he gets too impatient, he can easily swipe our lives clean away. The world seemed to become colder and more bitter.

"He told me to tell you that it would be in your best interest to spend your time wisely and quickly."

It is not a delightful prospect when Giratina becomes angry. Even more, it is certainly unpleasant and dreadful when Giratina becomes angry at a particular person – someone that possibly may be me. I shuddered, realizing that I should have left Aurora with Zhoke, where she would be safe and carefree. Without warning, my legs gave way and I fell onto my knees, breathing deeply.

"I'm going to eat some breakfast," Mandite said uncomfortably, and left the scene, leaving me alone with the absol, the wind whistling through the air, ruffling our pelts. I knelt in silence, struck senseless with the whole idea of this journey. Finally, I heard the absol padded over, his pawsteps quiet like the approach of a catastrophe. I looked up, to see those fierce eyes soften with sympathy.

"Would it be easier if he actually sent Mandite home instead?" I spoke. Dhenalix shook his scythed head sadly.

"Giratina has larger issues spanning several other dimensions." He said, "Since you found him, Giratina has left it up to you to bring Mandite home." I sighed, feeling the responsibility heavy on my shoulders now. I only hope that there is a way that no one will be hurt, at least Mandite and Aurora.

"Dhenalix?" I asked. The absol dipped his regal head serenely.

"Is there some way that Giratina could spare Mandite and Aurora if he decides to..." I couldn't bring myself to say "kill us", but by judging the way Dhenalix bowed his head, I knew he understood.

"I am sure that all of you could be saved," he said simply. That statement startled me – here was an absol bringing me optimistic news. Perhaps I made a strange face in response to such contradiction, in which the absol growled,

"Absols are not always the ill-hearted, pessimistic pokemon."

"I don't mean to offend you," I said quickly, "but I thought the idea rather unusual – I have never encountered an absol before you." Luckily, Dhenalix was an understanding being, bowing his head graciously.

"None taken," he replied, "we absols rarely speak to others, even to our own kind. We only come when necessary to warn others of danger. Otherwise, we spend our lives alone – or with our families." Dhenalix added, with a slight air of pride. For the first time, I saw the absol smile, only a small bit, but it was still a smile of warmth. I also realized he was implying he had a family of his own. Wanting to stay on his good side and wanting to know what an absol family was like – for I only heard of lone absols – I decided to inquire about it.

"Do you have children?" I asked him, and the smile on Dhenalix's face seemed to grow broader. He pawed the ground, smiling to himself.

"Yes," he said with pleasure, "but it's still inside its mother – it still has yet to come as an egg – it will be my first child." Now, Dhenalix seemed to be dazed by his own joy, a happiness that had spread to me. I, too, smiled.

"Congratulations," I said, despite being old enough to understand the delights of parenthood. Right now, I can't really see the excitement of it – and probably never, I thought bitterly. Meanwhile, the absol had nodded, his crimson eyes bright.

"Thank y -" His thanks were abruptly cut off by the cry of a pokemon. It sounded like a wail, or a really loud coo. Dhenalix looked up into the sky, and so did I, to see a large, flying, dragon-type soar in, its wings producing a peculiar sound. It sounded like someone was singing. It landed, and I finally got a good look at this pokemon. He smelled like it came from the Hoenn region, the very odor coming from his green body and geometrical wings, outlined in scarlet. Over the eyes, the pokemon had large, circular lenses tinted red, and its head was crowned with long, dark green streamers that flowed out from the back of its head. However, his species is unknown to me. Both of us straightened, standing up to look at the pokemon towering over us, peering through its red spectacles. Dhenalix and the pokemon glanced at each other, briefly nodding. Then, the absol turned to me.

"Lucario, this is Tyyakkuvh," Dhenalix said, "he is a flygon from the Hoenn region – he now lives here in the Sinnoh region." The flygon, Tyyakkuvh, gave a sharp nod of his head towards me. I turned towards the absol, who was looking curiously at Tyyakkuvh.

"What brings you here, friend?" Dhenalix questioned, and the flygon beat his wings, creating a low, thrumming sound. A gleam flashed across the red lens over Tyyakkuvh's eyes – this pokemon gave me the impression that this was an extremely intelligent dragon.

"I was talking to Mandite," Tyyakkuvh's voice was grainy, like the grit of sand, "I had news to bring him." Dhenalix looked slightly puzzled.

"Why?" I asked, feeling rather isolated now. Tyyakkuvh's head snapped to my direction, a beat of his wings producing a note.

"That is his and Dialga's business," he said, flicking his tail back and forth, the diamond shaped scales shimmering at the end of it. Then, craning his neck to look back at Dhenalix, he added,

"I also brought a message for you, too; Lily has set the egg, and she wants you to come home." The expression on Dhenalix's face looked surprised for a moment, and then suddenly widened into a delighted smile, his white-toothed grin contrasted on his dark face. Tyyakkuvh gave one last look at me, before saying,

"Good day to you, Lucario," and with a great flap of his wings, Tyyakkuvh soared into the air and out of sight. Dhenalix watched his friend go, his smile still evident on his smoky face. Those red eyes blinked, and glanced at me.

"It was nice knowing you, Lucario," the absol said graciously, bowing while backing away, "and as much as I would love to stay, I have business to attend to." I smiled, bowing as well. The meeting had left me with mixed emotions, but it also had been pleasant in a certain way.

"I am sure our paths will cross again," the absol continued, "and let us hope that it will be on more pleasant terms." I silently agreed, thinking about Giratina.

"I wish you the best of luck with your journey," Dhenalix added, slowly retreating down the mountainside. I nodded, knowing I needed all the luck I could get to buy some time from Death. Minding my manners, I replied,

"I, too, wish you good luck - with your child." The absol smiled again, giving me one last nod, before turning away. The white-furred figure bounded down the rocky slope and away.

Adjourning back to our encampment, I thought deeply on the whole situation. What does Giratina mean by to spend my time "wisely and quickly"? It was almost certain he wanted us to pick up the pace in our quest to find a portal, but how much time will he permit us? And why wouldn't he help us do so? If he so desperately wanted Mandite out of this world, why can't he deal with him on his own? Furthermore, what could Giratina mean by spending my time wisely? For a moment, my face became very hot; he may be implying that I should stop thinking about Aurora. Or maybe he thought we were just wasting time looking for portals in the wrong places. After all, Mandite did say that portals lead to other worlds asides his own. Maybe Giratina was helping out after all, by sealing the portals that did not lead to Mandite's world. This thought comforted me, a little. I made a mental note to myself to discuss this matter with Mandite later.

Mandite. Tyyakkuvh had a message for him from Dialga; what could that message possibly be? What could it mean? And why would the deity of Time would associate with an "alien" species like Mandite? This time, I could not formulate any sort of hypothesis or theory as to why such an event had occurred; another note to self – inquire Mandite about this message from Dialga.

I found Mandite overlooking the scenery quietly, his keen eyes concentrated on the horizon. I approached him cautiously, not wanting to disturb any of his deep, philosophical thought. Even if he was a child, Mandite has the mind of a wise, experienced being. Despite my precautions, Mandite blinked, and turned to face me.

"So," he said, "you finished talking already?" I nodded, keeping quiet. I thought about Giratina again, and what might happen if I didn't spend my time wisely and quickly enough. Mandite seemed to see the reflection of my question in my eyes, frowning.

"Giratina will not harm Aurora, if that's what you are so worried about," Mandite said, still frowning. I blinked, and looked upon the blue warrior with mild surprise. How could he be so sure of this? Mandite again read the expression on my face, and answered,

"Dialga will not permit it," To this response, I could hardly believe my ears. I was relieved that Aurora would be saved if such a crisis occurred, but why?

"What does Dialga have to do with Aurora?" I asked Mandite, "What did Tyyakkuvh tell you?" To my surprise once more, Mandite stiffened.

"The information is classified," he said, "I am not allowed to tell you anything."

_"Anything?"_ I asked, with disbelief. Mandite nodded firmly.

"Not a single word," he answered, "All I can tell you now is that you're not trusted with this information." Not trusted? I felt annoyed – what have I done wrong? And why should Mandite have information that concerns Aurora; I have known and raised her for the past several years. If there was anyone who should be told anything dealing with Aurora, shouldn't it have been me? But then I realized that someone else may have noticed I was very attached to her, as well. If it was bad news, I guess they wouldn't have wanted to tell me, but instead a friend, one that still cared but not as much as I did. That made sense, but I wish no ill harm inflicted on Aurora. Dialga's word will protect her – for now.

Mandite, who had been watching me for a while, coughed and shifted his feet.

"I know what you're thinking, Lucario," he said, looking up at me with his large, pale green eyes, "but we said it was best that you should not hear any of this message – or anyone else. It must remain a secret between Dialga and I."

"And Tyyakkuvh?" I added.

"And Tyyakkuvh," Mandite said, waggling his little claw on a wing at me, "but no one else – got that?" I nodded, just as another question arose in my mind.

"What if someone bribes you to get it," I asked, "such as endangering someone's life?" Mandite gave me a funny look, and burst out laughing, putting his hand to his face, and shaking his head – or body – from side to side.

"It's not _that_ important, not really right now," he said, after when his laughter faded away, "it's just that someone might... Mess things up, I guess."

"Someone like me," I said, slightly insulted.

"Yeah," Mandite replied, nodding, "someone like you," I felt rather betrayed and glared at him. Mandite looked slightly intimidated at first, and then he glared right back, the jade-green eyes narrowing.

"It's not a bad thing, you know," he hissed, "so let's not end up looking like this!" Mandite pointed to his face, which was screwed into the most exaggerated anger. The total expression was so exaggerated, it was at the point where it was absolutely silly. My glare eased into a smile, and I laughed silently at him. Mandite gave up his little acting and joined me, his laughs echoing out into the mountains. At this point, I laughed aloud as well, so the two of us were laughing lunatics, composing our jolly song that reverberated withing the valley. Above all of this, I detected a faint buzzing sound, so I stopped my merrymaking.

"What's going on?" Mandite asked, still chuckling slightly. I shushed him, and listened again. Funny, those buzzing noises were getting louder...

"What's that noise?" Mandite said, finally hearing what I was hearing. I looked at Mandite, who was glancing around at the forest down below. His expression at that point was deep in concentration, lacking any form of reaction to humor. What was he looking at? I glanced down at the forest below, and saw nothing of importance – there were, of course, trees and leaves. I looked back up at Mandite, who suddenly became wide-eyed.

"BEES!!!" Mandite cried out in terror, and fled, "RUN FOR IT!!!!" I watched the retreating figure zip around the corner, wondering what were these "bees". And I was also wondering why that buzzing was deafeningly loud...

I turned around, took one look at the massive swarm of combees and vespiqueen, and ran after Mandite. Unfortunately for us, I could still hear the loud buzzing, which meant the swarm was following us with a vengeance. I kept on running, not daring to look over my shoulder. Along my escape route, I spotted Mandite, who was catching his breath. He glanced up, and started to run again, flapping his wings like a maniac. Being unarmed, he had nothing to fend off the combees and their leading vespiqueen. There were too many for me to fight off by myself, so that left us with an only choice to run, or become terribly beaten up.

The rocky ground was flying beneath our feet, and our breathing was short, and quick. But, no matter how fast we ran, I knew we wouldn't be able to shake off the swarm. We had to think of a smarter way. The two of us ran around a boulder when Mandite spotted a thin crevice within a wall of rock.

"Here!" And dove inside, pulling me with him by the scruff of my neck. The two of us collapsed inside the tight compartment, trying to keep our breath quiet, and hoping that the swarm would not find us. If they do, we will not be able to escape that certain doom. I eyed the small opening, watching the vespiqueen fly by, followed by hundreds of combees. Finally, after what seemed like an endless wait, the last combee trailed by the opening. However, Mandite and I wouldn't dare go out until we were sure that the swarm was gone. So we waited for a few minutes, while I listened with all my might.

"You think they're gone, now?" Mandite whispered. I shrugged, not knowing. Mandite made a motion that meant for me to peek my head outside and see if the coast was clear. Not wanting my head to be subject to attack, I denied the job, shaking my head vigorously. In response, Mandite rolled his eyes, and then pointed at the opening. I still shook my head, when finally Mandite kicked me hard in the shin, forcing me to the opening. Wincing from the pain, I agreed, and slowly poked my head out, inch by inch. Once I could look around clearly, I glanced left, right, and above me. There was not a single combee in sight. Gingerly, I stepped outside, listening for the faintest beat of thin wings. When I heard nothing, I turned around and said,

"It's all right – they are gone." Mandite cautiously removed himself from captivity, and peered about. He paused for a moment, focusing on an inevitable speck in the air. Slowly, he held out his little blue hand for a few seconds, and then drew it back to his face, and inspected a little something on it.

"Hmm," Mandite mumbled to himself, examining the combee wing, "I wonder how this got here..." I took another look up, and so did Mandite.

The vespiqueen and her many minions were glaring back down at us. We looked at each other.

"Any options?" I asked him, and Mandite blinked.

"Nope," he said, and then dashed off. Not wanting to be left behind with the angry swarm, I ran after him. Soon, from my desperate running, I caught up to Mandite. He made a sour face at me.

"WHY DID YOU BRING THEM HERE?!" He yelled over the buzzing, "COULDN'T YOU HAVE JUST WENT ANOTHER WAY SO I DON'T HAVE TO RUN AS MUCH?!!!"

"Then what about me?!" I shouted back, "What would I do then?!"

"I DON'T HAVE TIME TO LIP READ," Mandite yelled back, "SPEAK LOUDER!!!!!!"

"What would I do?!" I repeated.

"WHAT?!!"

"Never mind!!" I had no time to waste. My mind was also running along with my legs, and could not afford to trip up like my legs. We kept running when Mandite suddenly veered off in a different direction. I followed him, still. I saw the warrior glance back at me as I caught up to him.

"ARE YOU READY FOR THE LARGEST CANNONBALL OF YOUR LIFE?!!!" He yelled to me, and I felt puzzled.

"What do you mean?!" I shouted back. Mandite glanced ahead of us.

"JUMP!!!!" And so we did, jumping right off a cliff. For a brief moment, I thought Mandite had suddenly became suicidal, but then I caught the flash of light reflecting off of water below us. The unexplained reason now clicked in my mind, and I pulled my body into a dive. I just hope the lake was deep enough for a seventy foot, running-start dive. I squeezed my eyes shut and braced myself for a harsh impact.

The sudden shock shook my entire body as I came in contact with the water. However, as I plunged deep into the lake, I was grateful that I did not land on the surface sprawled out, or else that would have been a very painful experience. To the right of me, I saw Mandite's little body plummet into the deep lake, a trail of white bubbles following him. At first I was concerned, but when I saw Mandite using his wings and feet to swim up to me, my worries were eased. In the watery darkness, Mandite pointed up to the surface, and then shook his head, signaling that we shouldn't go to the surface just yet. That was all right with me, for I could hold my breath for ten minutes before needing another breath again. The only problem is that I don't know how Mandite is going to fare like this. However, despite my concerns, Mandite seemed to act as though he was used to not breathing at all, casually swimming loops underwater. As he played around, I gazed up at the surface, watching the swarm fly over the water, not daring to go in. After eight minutes, they left, sure that we were done in. I waited for another minute before I was completely sure they were gone. I snagged Mandite's attention and we swam to the surface. I emerged from the water, gasping for breath, as Mandite just floated lazily on top of the lake.

"That," I panted, "was a good plan." Mandite looked over to me, and then smiled to himself, closing his eyes.

"I know," he said, and I chuckled. I started to swim to shore, and seeing that I was leaving him behind, Mandite started to swim after me, shouting,

"Wait for me!"

~*~

Even though the trek back to the little cave was a long one, we were still wet by the time we reached the ridge that we climbed down into the crater and into the cave. As we approached, I heard Aurora calling us,

"Lucario? Mandite? Where are you?!" Guilt punched me hard in the stomach. The whole day went by and I haven't thought about how lonely Aurora was, sitting alone in her cave, unable to walk too far, due to her almost-healed injury. I hopped down and landed behind her, in which Aurora turned around, startled. She blinked a few times, her mouth opening and closing as if she was ready to yell at me for being gone so long, when she did something unexpected. She flung her arms around my neck and hugged me, shaking from being heavily upset. I blinked, extremely surprised for a moment, but then I patted her on the back, feeling heat rise into my cheeks.

"I thought something happened to you guys," she said, her voice muffled in my fur, "I thought... I thought... That you and Mandite..." Her thoughts broke out into a sob, and she started to shake again. This time, I wrapped both of my arms around her, and rocked her back and forth for comfort.

"Aurora," I said softly in her ear, "we're fine, see? It takes a lot to bring both of us down – there's nothing for you to worry about."

"But I thought something happened," Aurora whimpered, "you usually came back with Mandite at noon to eat, but today... you didn't come. And now it is getting dark, so I thought..." Aurora cried into my already wet fur, and I patted her back some more.

"I'm sorry, Aurora," I apologized, "I didn't come back because I was... Busy." I managed to scrape up an appropriate word, thinking back to the swarms of combees and their vespiqueen. Behind me, Mandite jumped down, his feet landing on the ground with a hard "thud". Meanwhile, Aurora loosened her grasp, and looked up and down my fur. She then looked up in my eyes questioningly, the tears melting away with the rippling liquid, magenta fire.

"What have you been doing while you were gone?" she asked.

"Sorry we're late," Mandite called out to Aurora, who looked at him over my shoulder, blinking back tears, "we took a really, _really_ long walk." I started to walk, leading Aurora back into the cave.

"Oh, really?" Aurora asked, curious. Mandite skipped right next to her.

"Yup!" he exclaimed happily, as all three of us sat down, leaning against the boulder. Aurora nestled herself next to me, making us both comfortable, and my face rather warm.

"Then, can I hear it?"Aurora asked him, to which he nodded. Mandite glanced at me and flashed a small grin. The storyteller rose to his feet and stood before the two of us, folding his little arms behind his back.

"Well, it all started when I went outside this morning..."

* * *

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	15. Chapter 15

To finally get back down to ground level, since the chain of mountains had stopped abruptly before it could ebb away into hilly slopes, we had to wind our way across the mountain's face in order to prevent any of our lives to be stolen. All the while, as I kept careful balance on a ridge barely wide enough to put one foot on comfortably, I was constantly reminded of the one who was driving the whole purpose of this journey -Giratina. Naturally, our focus was first to stay alive as long as possible, but our caution paid dearly for it. To finally climb down the mountain (unfortunately, Mandite chose the peak that part of it had sloughed off to form a vertical drop-off), it took weeks. Those weeks went by, slowly and painstakingly, without much word said asides the "Be careful!"

So I can assure you I was greatly relieved when my feet finally touched the forest floor at the bottom. From down here, I felt some old memories fighting its way to catch my attention. They succeeded, telling me that I had once passed this way before, and that I was within several months at best of where my childhood home was, the very one I had left and vowed never to come back many years before. I remembered that the woods here were bright green and new with growth, but with the cooler air, and the days slowly becoming shorter, I knew that autumn was about to sweep the forest with a fiery paintbrush, changing its color drastically from deep summer emerald to fire opals. As I passed by some vegetation, I could see that this process was on its way.

There was a very large expanse of wood we would have to cross, but at least it would be cooler in the fall. The last time I had passed through, it was spring, in which the air was too hot and too humid. Now, clear, crisp, cool wind whistled through the yellow-tipped leaves. But the little brook was still there, the very one I followed out of this forest years ago – in fact, this was the forest I had stepped out into a beautiful plain of grass. And met the most beautiful lucario. I blinked, remembering how much things have changed between then and now. It's funny – in the beginning, I really wanted to leave Aurora lost in a desert, but now... I would follow her around Sinnoh making sure she was safe.

"Hey," Mandite's voice snapped me out of my daze, "what's up with you?" I only sighed and scratched the back of an ear.

"I was thinking," I simply replied, not knowing what else to say about the subject. Mandite narrowed his jade-colored eyes in contemplation for a brief moment, and then shrugged, turning to Aurora. I heaved a sigh again, and looked down at the forest earth.

"Hey, Aurora?" Mandite piped up.

"What?" she answered, in her usual cheerfulness.

"Have you ever – well," I heard a tinge of uneasiness in Mandite's voice, "have you ever considered marrying Zhoke?" I felt myself choke on the inside, and could not resist looking at Aurora, to see how she reacted to this question. Aurora looked a little shocked at first, and then she lowered her eyes bashfully.

"Oh," she said, extremely softly, "I... Well, Zhoke said that we were meant to be together right from the start, and I kind of agree..."

"Kind of agree?" Mandite further interrogated. Aurora fidgeted.

"Well, I... I don't think that we should rush into anything," Aurora twisted her arms behind her back, not making any eye contact, "At first, we agreed." Something sharp shot deep into my chest, and I squeezed my eyes tight to keep back tears. So, she really had thought that Zhoke was to be her lifelong mate. There, the case is finally closed completely and finished. She has no interest in me whatsoever. It's time to move on, I thought bitterly.

"But, as time went on, I felt that we didn't know too much about each other for us to get married and live comfortably," Aurora continued, and Mandite nodded, tapping the side of his face.

"I have another question," he told her, "and do your best to answer it." I suddenly realized there was something odd about this situation. Mandite did not usually asked any personal questions – in fact, I never heard one from him. So why does he now bombard Aurora with two?

"In the beginning, you had hurt Zhoke because he had hurt Lucario," Mandite stated, "is that correct?" Aurora nodded. I hear Mandite hesitate, words caught by his tongue. Then, he asked,

"If Zhoke and Lucario got into a fight now, and Lucario was near blacking out, and the only way to stop the fight is that you had to fight Zhoke," Mandite took a deep breath. I looked up to Aurora, and already she looked frightened and deeply troubled.

"Would you fight Zhoke?" Mandite finalized, and then became silent, waiting for an answer. Aurora blinked, her eyes looking very lost and torn. I turned my head away - I knew that Aurora would prefer Zhoke over me, by a long shot. Suddenly, my ears picked up the quick breath of a sob.

"If I don't fight Zhoke..." Aurora said, her voice wavering with uncertainty.

"Lucario is history," Mandite finished for her with a punctual note. And then, Mandite's hard expression softened, as he saw Aurora's tears.

"I'll let you think about it," he said, and then walked forward, putting space between us and him. Aurora began to cry harder, being an emotional soul. Even though I decided that I will break away from her now, I still could be a friend.

"Aurora," I said, giving her a glance, "if that ever happened... I just want you to know that I understand if you let me fall." Aurora looked up into my eyes, her tears like the rain that rippled a magenta reflecting pool, and all the love for her that I ever had rushed back to me in one, emotional wave. But, somehow, I did not flinch for the least bit.

"If that happens," I continued, "I want you to know that I would die for you." And then, I realized I had revealed too much, and I quickly averted my eyes, the heat rushing to my face. Oh, I am so careless...

"You... You would really do that?" I heard Aurora, her voice small and timid. I blinked and looked down at her. Her eyes was widening with surprise and amazement from my response.

"I would," I said, "for you." And Aurora looked down at her paws, blinking. I felt myself cringe with disgust for myself – that was too obvious. And what kind of lame response is that? I bit my tongue.

"That's... that's really nice of you, Lucario," I looked back to Aurora.

"Well," I said, "I'm sure that Zhoke would do that, too." To my surprise, I saw Aurora shrug.

"Zhoke is more of a person who would fight for me, but would save his own life..." she sighed, "I really don't know – sometimes, he can be really self-centered." I nodded, showing that I understood. Without warning, my heart spoke. I could feel the words coming to my throat, and I desperately tried to push them back.

"Aurora?" Aurora looked back up at me.

"Yes, Lucario?"

"I..." I hesitated, "I..."

"HEY!!!!!" Both of us jumped. Mandite was waving to us, standing next to a large thicket of underbrush. Relieved and disappointed, I meekly went over to Mandite, who looked rather upset with me.

"I thought you told me that this forest was the last major landscape before the beach!" Mandite yelled.

"I did," I retorted indignantly. Mandite screwed up his childish face, and the pointed to an opening in the brush.

"Then tell me what's _that."_ Shocked, I knelt and peeked through the leaves. Beyond the twigs and vegetation I saw a sight that threw a punch into my stomach. It can't be...

"What's wrong?" I heard Aurora behind us, and I shushed her. She fell silent immediately. I looked back into the bush.

Before my eyes, lay a city, infested with pokemon trainers.

"How are we going to deal with that?" I whispered earnestly to Mandite. But no one answered. I took my nose from the bushes and glanced around for the little warrior.

"Mandite?" There was rustling from a nearby bush. My muscles tensed, ready to defend us from trouble. But it was only Mandite, that kid. He emerged from the leaves, straightening a shoulder plate.

"Don't scare me like that!" I hissed at him. Mandite's yellow eyes looked up at me lazily from his mask.

"Psh! It's only me, Lucario," he said nonchalantly, "I would never leave you guys unless it was for a good reason." Aurora and I happened to roll our eyes, in which Mandite saw.

"What?" he asked, indignant.

"You do have a tendency to wander off to look for food," Aurora commented, half exasperated, half amused. Mandite faced away from us and folded his arms.

"Food is a good reason, too." he replied with false haughtiness. I snorted, and Mandite shot me a glare, before saying,

"This is aside the point," Mandite tapped the side of his mask, "to answer Lucario's question, I say I have a plan." Aurora cocked her head to one side, and I raised an eyebrow. Mandite flicked back and forth between us, and then ushered us to come close.

"Now, here's what I want you to do..."

~*~

"I think this is absolutely ridiculous." I said to Mandite, standing next to a device containing rubber balls. Mandite at that point was inserting coins he had collected by going around the outskirts of the city looking for change in vending machines. Aurora stood by, drawing a thick, back, scraggly line around the middle of a red and white rubber ball with a marker. Markers were smelly things, I thought, scrunching my nose as another whiff of strong, odoriferous marker ink wafted by.

"Well, I think this is absolutely ingenious," Mandite answered, watching a new rubber ball fell down a chute and into a slot, where he reached in and pulled it out. He examined the purple sphere, splayed with yellow smiley faces, for a long moment before tossing it into his bag. The real point behind Mandite's madness, asides the fact we looked utterly silly, is to find pokeball-type objects, like novelty items that were half red and half white. If you draw a black line where the two colors meet, it looks just like a regular pokeball. The only problem was is that half colored rubber balls were hard to come by – in half an hour and fifteen rubber balls later, we had only found one. We just needed a second one.

Mandite said that we will try to run right through the city as fast as we could, hopefully without causing any attention. The city wasn't too big, he said, so we should be fine. But, if we do run into a nosy trainer, Mandite will just pull out a decoy pokeball and say that he was our trainer. And Aurora and I had to do was follow his command if such incident happens.

"Drats!" Mandite spat, as he checked his backpack for spare change, "I'm out again – can you go get some more money for me, Lucario?" I heaved an exasperated sigh, but did not protest. Giving Aurora one last glance, I turned my back on the two, and wandered off to find some more money. The dirt road that lead deeper into the small city was lined with the autumn leaves that had started to fall. The lightweight frames swirled around my feet as they danced in the wind. On this walk, I started to think of several things.

Dhenalix came to my mind first. I wondered how he is doing, generally and with his new understanding of fatherhood. I smiled, thinking about the blissful, dazed look on his face when Tyyakkuvh came by, bringing the news of his egg. He is a kind soul, Dhenalix, and a very lucky absol. Even other pokemon that are much more welcome around others are having their troubles with love affairs; I thought bitterly about myself for a brief moment. Maybe, once all this trouble is over, I can get to know him better. I could use another good friend.

I also thought about Giratina, with a shudder. I decided to shake that ominous thought off for the moment.

I thought back to yesterday's earlier events, when Mandite had asked Aurora such peculiar questions. Since when he had asked those kinds of questions? Why? I shook my head, not understanding why.

And, of course, I thought of Aurora. I thought about everything I have done with her, from the beginning up until of my last glance of her, drawing a line on a rubber ball. There were more memorable moment, nonetheless – the day she had hung upside down from a tree, offering an apple; the day she had braved the flash flood; the night when she laid her head against me the day I rescued her; the day where she had in turn saved me from Zhoke, and many more, painful memories. But perhaps the most vivid memory was the look on her face when I told her I would die for her cause. It was comprised of utmost surprise, like a sudden realization a person has when they are slapped in the face. I don't know why, but that's how I would describe the look.

Perhaps the most embarrassing thing is when I become absent-minded while deep in thought. Suddenly, I bumped into something, which startled me.

More of someone, actually. I found myself looking up and locking eye contact with a pair of very large, star-blue eyes. I stepped back, putting a comfortable distance between me and the other pokemon. The gardevoir that stood before me blushed slightly pink and bowed her head. I could tell she was a girl, by the way her eyes are shaped. I have seen male gardevoirs before, all of them looking rather feminine but the eyes. Her eyes were definitely those of a lady.

"I'm sorry," the gardevoir said in a soft, gentle voice, clasping her tiny hands together behind her back, "I didn't mean to bump into you." I blinked, feeling rather awkward.

"No, I'm sorry," I corrected, "I should have looked where I was going." The gardevoir only sighed, swaying from side to side, gazing shyly at me. I frowned a bit – what is she thinking? Then, I realized she had some obvious interest in me; how awkward. I shifted uncomfortably, wanting to walk away but not wanting to be rude. I love Aurora, but she doesn't love me, so should I fall for this gardevoir instead? Maybe I should – then, this awful torment of vain love can end. Maybe.

"What's your name?" she asked, her voice getting smaller all the while. A name – I felt a little pained about that fact. Remember, I don't have a real name, due to the fact I was a second child.

"Just call me Lucario," I said, grudgingly. I stared at the ground for a while, before I remembered to mind my manners.

"And yours?" I asked in turn. The gardevoir turned really pink after replying,

"Michelle," the gardevoir whispered so softly I had to strain my ears to hear, "my name is Michelle." I nodded, and started to walk off, feeling that the conversation has ended.

"Wait!" I hear Michelle call to me, and I turned around, "where's your trainer?" I blinked, not sure how to answer that question.

"He... he is over there," I pointed in a random direction, and then began to walk again. But before I could take another step, I hear Michelle say,

"Mine is over there," Michelle pointed in the direction where the city was, "can we meet yours?" I hesitated – this would endanger our freedom, and Mandite doesn't have another fake pokeball for me to "prove" that he owned us. I looked over my shoulder at Michelle, her thin, fragile body swaying from side to side. I knew that she was a nice being, gentle and kind, but her trainer? I better not risk it – it would be better if Michelle just came alone with me. Besides, I might as well grow accustomed to favoring another girl, one that was open instead of taken.

"My trainer is not very sociable," I made up an excuse, "but you can meet him – he doesn't mind pokemon as much as humans." Michelle blinked, her starry blue eyes not sure what to do. I walked towards her, and then back in the direction I came from, gesturing for her to follow me. Michelle silently followed, walking by my side, none of us not knowing what to say. I looked at her, feeling very awkward. I held no feelings for her, but I am trying to force myself to. If I had the time, I probably would fall for her; but since I do not, thanks to Giratina, I would just have to cut the time short.

It wasn't long before we saw Mandite again.

"I asked you to bring me back money and instead you brought back a _girl." _Mandite pointed at Michelle, who hid behind me, frightened. Aurora looked up at me, frowned a bit, and busied herself with a fortune cookie Mandite gave her, turning away from us. Mandite just gave Aurora a look, and then turned back to look at me.

"Lucario," he said, patiently and earnestly, "this is not the time for the birds and bees." Michelle and I flushed deeply, and Mandite looked back at Aurora for a moment before turning back to me again, gesturing for me to look at Aurora. I did, and saw that she was sitting, bowed over and depressed. What could that mean? Was this reminding her too much of her and Zhoke? I gave her one last, concerned glance, before saying,

"Mandite, meet Michelle," I introduced, gently pushing the gardevoir forward, "Michelle, meet Mandite – my _trainer_." I emphasized that word, and gestured to Michelle, indicating that she didn't know we were wild. Mandite took the hint, and gave me a wink.

"Nice to meet you, Michelle," Mandite said, politely, and Michelle made a hesitant smile.

"You don't look very much like other trainers around here," she pointed out, and Mandite shrugged.

"Oh posh," he said, flicking off the fact with a wave of his hand, "I'm one of a kind." Michelle smiled and giggled a little – Mandite can be charming if he really wanted to. But, right now, he seemed like there was a much bigger urgency on hand. The warrior rocked back and forth on his heels.

"Well, it's nice meeting you, but me and my _pokemon,_" Mandite used his hands to point at me and Aurora, "need to get going on our expedition." With that said, Aurora stood up, and walked over to Mandite, giving me a look filled with hurt. Guiltily, I stepped from behind Michelle and said to her,

"I have to go now," Michelle nodded, turning red.

"Are you coming back?" I blinked. Was I coming back? Most likely not.

"Perhaps," I said, half lying.

"Well," she said, blinking back tears in her large, blue eyes, "good bye, Lucario." And she turned on her heel and left. I watched her for a few seconds before turning to Aurora. To my surprise, she looked very upset, almost mad, with me. Here I was, telling her that we must go on this journey without Zhoke, and now I turn around courting someone else. What a hypocrite and selfish person I am, I thought bitterly.

"Aurora?" I asked, wanting to apologize. My heart was still yearning for her. Out of character, Aurora glared at me, and replied sharply,

"Don't talk to me," and stormed off after Mandite. Ow... that hurt. I stood alone, feeling like I have been skewered right through the chest.

Aurora... I'm sorry.

* * *

**Well, this chapter sucks. I'll try to do better the next one. ^^;**

**So... any reviews about how much this sucks, please?  
**


	16. Chapter 16

"Lucario, I'm not happy how this situation is turning out." Mandite had pulled me into a dark alley way the next day. All of us were at the heart of the city, where the threats are greater and more populous. I sighed, exasperated.

"I was only being nice, all right?" I replied, and Mandite shot me a nerving glare from underneath his mask.

"That was _extremely_ tactless," he said, "to bring another girl with you right in front of Aurora." I thought back to her bitter response yesterday. She was still upset with me, and refused to even look at me.

"Well... It's not like she has cared for me," I admitted, knowing Mandite knew that I held passionate feelings for Aurora.

"'It's not like she has cared...' For crying out loud, Lucario!" Mandite scolded, "You can be so blind at times, can't you? She _does_ care for you, and you fail to recognize it because you're so wrapped up with the Zhoke-thing!" I snorted – how would a seven year old ever understand.

"Look," Mandite said, his voice calming down, "we can't take any more detours, and we have to pull ourselves together. You can't do this alone – you need Aurora, and Aurora needs you."

"I doubt it," I mumbled to myself.

"Whatever," Mandite said, shrugging, "be that way." The truth was that I wanted more proof from Mandite that Aurora really did hold feelings for me. I was still very uncertain about it, despite what Mandite said. Mandite is only a youngster, and the whole topic makes him rather sick. What would he know about it? Disappointed, I turned away from him.

"I know what you're thinking," Mandite teased, "but I'm not here to blather – I just needed to tell you that someone's waiting for you on the roof." I blinked, wondering who may that person be? Aurora? No, she was sitting under a tree by herself just across the street.

"Well," Mandite said, impatiently, "skedaddle! Don't just stand there and play dumb." I only huffed in response, half amused and half annoyed. With a swish of his cloak, Mandite left, leaving me in the alley, wondering who was up there. Using the garbage heap, I managed to climb onto the angled top, it's black shingles hot from the sun. Looking around, I saw a familiar, lone, white figure overseeing the city.

"Hello again, Lucario," Dhenalix turned around and smiled. I smiled back, glad to see him – hopefully, he doesn't have a message foreboding death.

"Hello, Dhenalix," I replied, walking over to him, "how's your kid?" Dhenalix's fangs glistened in the sun, exposed by his large smile.

"Wonderful," he said happily, "the egg started to move for the fist time. But it still has to wait a few more months before its aura completely formulates into a body." I nodded, understanding, sitting down beside the absol. Eggs were basically containers holding the aura that the mother and father contributed that would eventually form the body of the offspring, as well as its own aura. Dhenalix's smile faded, and his crimson gaze flickered with concern.

"Mandite told me about you and Aurora," he said. I sighed, and closed my eyes. So, he knows as well. Dhenalix shifted to a more comfortable position.

"Mandite is right about the fact that you have hurt Aurora's feelings," he said.

"I know," I groaned, feeling extremely guilty, "but I'm not planning to see Michelle anymore." I heard Dhenalix draw in his breath quickly through his teeth.

"Urgh, this is too hot," he grumbled, changing his seating again before continuing, "I'm not blaming you for anything, Lucario – it's just that you must be careful when it comes to choosing females. They can be really touchy." At that moment, I felt that I was actually talking to an older brother – it was really odd, but it was comforting, in a way. I raised my head and turned to look at him. His wise, knowledgeable eyes stared back.

"Then... What should I do?" I asked. Dhenalix gave me a sad smile and chuckled.

"That's for you to decide," he said, "I do not wish to be in charge of that part or any other part of your life."

"Even if your love is not Aurora in the end, you still must make amends with her now." Dhenalix advised, "She is your friend, after all." I nodded glumly, not knowing how to deal with it. How can I, if Aurora refuses to be less than ten feet from me? And even if I get close enough, would he even listen to me? And if she listened to me, how am I going to explain the situation without admitting that I loved her? I don't want her to know that while she loved Zhoke – and then again, I did. Oh dear, I feel lost. Seeing my frown from my pained, complex feelings, Dhenalix smiled sympathetically.

"That part will be okay," he optimized, "Mandite is a very smooth talker." Again, I nodded, but this time I smiled, too. Always thinking of the bright side, Dhenalix was. It makes me think that way, too. Besides, Mandite was really good with people and socializing, after all. If anything, Mandite will cheer her up. I was about to make another comment when I noticed that Dhenalix was staring at his paws uncomfortably, his moth set in a tight line; to have a little pep talk with me wasn't the real reason why Dhenalix was here, I realized with a frown.

"What message do you have for me today?" Dhenalix looked up at me, turning the question over in his head. He sighed, pawing a shingle out of earnestness.

"Only a warning," Dhenalix admitted, "be careful when you walk in the forest west of the city – it may be charted as a featureless forest, but it is basically unknown to mankind. It actually has many deep canyons, so you must be wary when you run around – you don't know what's at the edge." I thought about this information, and sharply nodded, showing him I understood. But Dhenalix looked wearily at me, showing that he was not finished.

"Another thing," he continued, "take caution. I do not know what it is, but there is something out there that can kill you without any mercy." I was about to ask what type of pokemon it was when the absol cut me short.

"It's not pokemon," he warned, "it is an alien species, coming from Mandite's world. And it's deadly, so don't take any chances if you happen to spot anything that looks abnormal to you." Dhenalix gave me a long gaze as I thought about these warning in my head, feeling greatly frightened indeed. Maybe this new creature was the reason for Giratina's desire to get Mandite out – there were enough, potentially dangerous aliens in our world for comfort.

"Understand?" I nodded, not knowing what to say now. The absol scratched his white-furred side with his hind leg, and sighed.

"It's only a warning," he said, trying his best to sound as if there was nothing wrong, "it would be a rare occurrence if you happen to pass by this dangerous creature, anyway. The only thing you need to worry about is the forest, all right?" There he goes again, with his optimism; but at least it made me feel better. Dhenalix stood up, indicating that he was about to leave. Giving the town a glance with his red eyes, he frowned.

"Now I have to walk through that crowd down there, and they will all condemn themselves to death because of me," he muttered, shaking his scythed head, "Honestly, absols can't be _that_ scary." We both chuckled slightly, thinking about how silly humans were at times. A sudden wind breezed through, ruffling Dhenalix's long fur, bringing the nostalgic scent of wet earth. Tired of the foreign smell of humans, I relished the breeze, closing my eyes and feeling it run over my face.

"But, I must get that over with," Dhenalix finally said, preparing to leap off the roof, "good bye, Lucario." The absol bowed respectfully, and I in turn bowed back.

"Good-bye, Dhenalix," and with a short nod, the absol flung himself into the crowd, landing on the cobblestone claws spread out. It took a second for all the people to realize that the pokemon of disaster had landed among them before they fled in different directions, screaming about some flood that will occur. Dhenalix looked up at me, shaking his head and smiling, and bounded off for the forest.

By the time I had climbed down from the roof and found Mandite and Aurora sitting under a tree, they were enjoying lunch. The delighted look on Aurora's face told me that she was feeling much better now, to my pleasure. Mandite, on the contrary, was grumbling, poking a half of his sandwich through the hole in his mask.

"I heard there was going to be this great flood that will destroy us all," he said to me, finishing off the rest of his sandwich, "all this gloom and doom is making me feel hungry." I raised an eyebrow – everything made him hungry, but I made no comment. What would be the point of pointing out the obvious? I sat down by them, forming a triangle of friends. At that point, my eyes met with Aurora's, and her face fell. Aurora looked away, looking very ashamed with herself. She gave me a sideways glance, and I smiled warmly, showing that I forgave her for yesterday. Slowly but surely, a smile emerged on Aurora's face. I then looked over to Mandite, who gave me a wink. I smiled back, silently thanking him for the favor.

"Oh, by the way," Mandite said, suddenly remembering something, "Michelle came by while you were partying on the roof." She was looking for me? If she found me, I wouldn't know how to tell her that I was not interested in her. Besides, since when did gardevoirs and lucarios become mates? But love is an odd thing, and I don't blame her. Wait a moment – did I say mates? Could I be already thinking of that?

"What did you tell her?" I asked, taking an apple that Aurora offered to me. Mandite's eyes flashed bright pink with amusement.

"I told her that I traded you for a shilaba," he said brightly.

"Shelgon," Aurora corrected for him, and Mandite just waved it off with his hand, chuckling to himself.

"Same difference," he said, not minding one bit, "anyways, Michelle is looking for you at some city in some swamp, so you're perfectly fine and dandy." I thought about the poor gardevoir, wandering around looking for me in vain. I felt pity for her, and hoped that she would find someone more suitable for her kind.

"That's too bad," I mumbled, biting into the apple, "she was a nice person." Mandite shot me a look, and motioned towards Aurora.

"Well, she was," I said indignantly, "and so are you." I added, to prove what I said was only meant as a compliment.

"Aww," Mandite said in a sappy voice, turning away and flicking his hand, "you're making me blush." I rolled my eyes and laughed. Mandite was also very silly, as I have said many times over. I was about to take another bite of my apple when a far off voice yelled,

"Look! Wild pokemon!" I jerked my head to the source. Running down the lane was a boy with green hair, with a rather fierce looking luxray at his heel. I stood up, dropping the apple in my hand and pulled my self into a defensive stance.

"Get 'im, Aruku!" he shouted, pointing at me, and the luxray dashed forth, his massive paws literally thundering on the ground. He sprung off the ground and unsheathed his claws, ready to tear my face apart. The spikes on my paws lengthened into long, metallic daggers in response. But before I could react any further, a bright light flashed behind me. Mandite lunged in front of me, slashed Galaxia upwards underneath the luxray's claws, and then used the hilt of his sword to smash him down. Aruku the luxray slammed into the ground, with Mandite lightly landing on the ground, sheathing his sword. I blinked, my metal claws melting back to normal spikes. All of that happened in one second, or maybe less. That's another good reason not to mess with Mandite – he could back stab someone before they even thought to get out their dagger.

"Hey!" The green haired boy skidded to a halt behind his pokemon, "what the heck were you doing?!" Mandite looked lazily up at him, sounding very unimpressed.

"What the heck are _you_ doing with _my_ pokemon?" he retorted, throwing cape around his body protectively. The boy blinked and rubbed his eyes.

"Yeah, I can talk," Mandite answered for him sharply, "and I'm not a pokemon, got that kid?" The trainer looked about fourteen, two times older than Mandite, but behind the mask, he appears to be much older, and certainly reaped its benefits. The boy stood, agape, staring at Mandite. As usual, they found the new creature before them very odd.

"All right, quit looking at me like that," an annoyed Mandite spat, "just tell me what in the world were you doing with my pokemon?"

"Those are your pokemon?" The trainer asked, seemingly impressed. Mandite looked at both of us.

"Uh... Yeah," he said, nodding, "pretty cool, huh?" The trainer narrowed his eyes.

"Is that all?" he asked. Mandite blinked, uncertain how to answer that question.

"No," he said, pulling his backpack to him and started sifting through it for a "pokeball", "I have more here..." I gave Aurora an uneasy look, and she bit her tongue, worried about how this might turn out.

"Here's my shimbala," Mandite finally said, after a thorough search.

"Shelgon," Aurora hissed, flattening her ears, glancing briefly at the staring pokemon trainer.

"Oh, right," Mandite thanked, "Shelgon!" Dramatically, Mandite pulled out a rubber ball and held it out. Judging by the disbelieving face on the boy, I could tell something went wrong.

"_That's_ a pokeball?" The boy pointed at the rubber ball Mandite held out. The little warrior, gave the ball a second glance, blinked, and his eyes widened. Aurora smacked the palm of her paw in her face and turned away. Mandite stared at the purple rubber ball, splayed with various yellow smiley faces, blankly gazing off in random directions. All of us stood in awkward silence, as a stray newspaper fluttered by. Oh no...

"It's..." Mandite gave the rubber ball a long look, "... It's customized!" The boy raised his eyebrows, as Mandite looked at the ball curiously, obviously pleased with his answer. I sighed with relief – the situation could have been much more embarrassing, or perhaps more threatening. It was possible that the pokemon trainer could have discovered we were wild, and possibly could have captured one of us.

"Customized?" the young trainer asked, sounding like he half believed our claim.

"Yeah," Mandite said, tossing it into the air before snatching it again, "you don't have one?" Now that Mandite had a good foothold on the subject, he began to talk smoothly. In fact, the way that Mandite had said that so casually and cool, the pokemon trainer's eyes widened with curiosity.

"No," he said, "can I see it?" Mandite held out the rubber ball, and the trainer reached for it. Suddenly, Mandite raised it out of his reach.

"Nuh-uh-uh!" Mandite taunted, waggling his hand teasingly, "I don't want any smudges on it – that's why I have gloves." He brandished them pleasurably and then, like Michelle, he daintily placed the "pokeball" inside his backpack.

"Where did you get it?" The trainer asked, his eyes following the rubber ball back into the backpack. Mandite looked up.

"I caught it in -"

"No, I mean the pokeball," he corrected himself. Mandite sighed a small breath of relief, before explaining grandly,

"Got 'em in Hoenn – there's millions of them!"

"Do they have different colors?"

"You bet!" Mandite assured, giving him a wink. I caught Aurora's eye, and I grinned at her. She smiled back, obviously enjoying the scene, judging by the amused twinkle amongst her flaming eyes.

"So," Mandite finally said, after a long, respectful silence, "what's your name, kid?" The trainer grinned and ruffled his green hair.

"I'm Ivan," he answered, "and you?"

"Mandite," the little warrior replied kindly, "very nice to meet you, Ivan."

"You too," Ivan said, nodding. He glanced back at his luxray, Aruku, who emitted a playful growl, shaking his heavy black mane. Ivan looked back up at us, and a sly smile crept onto his face.

"Say, Mandite," Mandite looked up at Ivan, apparently confused.

"... Mandite?" Mandite responded, raising his arms in a shrug. Ivan blinked, and then rolled his eyes, laughing.

"Mandite," the boy said.

"Yes?" Mandite asked, tapping the tips of both of his hands together.

"Wanna have a battle?" Ivan challenged. At the sound of these words, Aruku jumped in place in anticipation, letting loose a growl. I gazed at the electric-type, wondering what will Mandite say next. Hopefully, Ivan wouldn't call a match on Mandite's "shelgon". I watched the warrior anxiously, wondering if we had that time to spare. As usual, the mask over his face made the warrior look expressionless when he thought about light decisions.

"Oh..." Mandite hummed, finally making a noise, "I really don't have much time..." Ivan's face looked downcast all of a sudden, and Aruku's ears drooped slightly. They must have been so hopeful to test their strength, that this disappointment made me feel a little guilty.

"... But I guess I have time for a quick skirmish," Mandite added happily, and once again, Ivan's face lightened up as Aruku chased his tail one time around. I smiled, looking at the pair, trainer and pokemon. I never liked the domesticated as much as wild ones, but Aruku was starting to grow on me.

"All right," Ivan said, punching a fist in the air, "one-pokemon skirmish it is!" Mandite nodded, tapping his mask thoughtfully as he watched the boy point at him.

"Choose your pokemon!" Ivan commanded, and without a second thought, Mandite pointed at me. What? This decision was without my consent!

"C'mon, Lucario," Mandite said in a dull tone, "be a man for once in your life!" I heard Aurora attempting to suppress a laugh behind me, and I sighed. Slowly, but surely, I walked up, center stage. Ivan gave a nod to Aruku, and the pokemon growled, and leaped in front of him, clawing the ground. Meanwhile, Mandite was trying to resolve an issue, concerning the fact he had never conducted a pokemon battle before.

"I got this Aurora!" he hissed, "everything 's gonna be fine – you wait and see." I glanced back to see Aurora still worried-looking. Mandite was rummaging through his backpack, picking up the occasional random object before tossing it back inside. I turned back to face my opponent, slightly deflated-feeling. This was going to be a pretty interesting game...

"Aha!" Mandite brandished a small, red handbook with a pokeball emblem etched into it, "lo and behold!" Aurora seemed unimpressed, as well as I. Mandite gave us both a look, appearing to be confused.

"What?" he asked. Aurora shook her head.

"Let me help you," she said wearily, and Mandite stepped away from her, clutching the little book.

"For your info-may-shawn," Mandite said, "this handy-dandy manual has every move every documented for every documented pokemon. I can perfectly do this myself!" In response, she looked like she was about to say something, but then sighed, and shrugged. Mandite flipped through his book, humming to himself, oblivious to the defeated look on our faces. Ivan raised an eyebrow before asking,

"Are you... Ready?" Mandite stopped his flipping in mid-page turn, and glanced up with his yellow eyes.

"Yes," he answered, closing the book, patting its cover. Ivan smiled, and then announced,

"Then let the battle begin!" Ivan pointed to me. I stared into the eyes of my opponent, and growled. Aruku roared, shaking his mane, sparking from electricity.

"Aruku use Shock Wave!" the boy commanded, and beams shot from the luxray's gaping mouth. My eyes widened, seeing the intensity of it, and I jumped to avoid being struck. Mandite behind me stepped aside and watched the ground absorb the lightning. My feet came in contact with the cobblestone once more, steadying myself with my arms. I glanced up to see a very impressed Ivan.

"That was quick!" he exclaimed, "Aruku, use Thunder Fang!" The luxray ran towards me, his paws pounding on the ground heavily. I looked back at Mandite, hoping he would call out an attack or at least something. But no – he was flipping through his book, frantically. Just in time, I sidestepped the luxray, and blasted him with a quickly rendered aura sphere. Aruku staggered, sliding away from me.

"Uh... this looks cool," Mandite finally stopped on a page, "Lucario, use Poison Sting!" I blinked, and my mouth dropped open. Mandite looked up at me, and then back down at the book.

"Um... Maybe not," he said, flipping through some pages, "Lucario use – LOOK OUT!!!" My eyes flicked back to Aruku, who had taken those few minutes to conjure up Iron Tail.

"DO THOSE CLAW-THINGIES!!" Mandite shrieked, waving his arms wildly. Instinctively, the spikes on my paws molded over into claws of steel. I flung one of them to parry the tail, but as I pushed away the tail, Aruku twisted his body so that he chomped his Thunder Fang into my other arm. Suddenly, I felt my arm muscles seize up, and I yelped from shock. Never before I felt so pained – it burned! Forcing myself to concentrate, I summoned my aura to my center of gravity, and then let it go. Instead of my regular, blue aura, a deep violet cloud out from me, outlining each pulse of dark energy. Instantly, Aruku was flung off, and crashed onto the ground. Panting, I watched the luxray get to his feet wearily, clutching my stinging arm. Aruku groaned, and shook himself before snapping back into acute attention. I glanced over my shoulder to see how Mandite was handling things. Currently, his eyes were flicking from left to right at an incredible pace, reading a page.

"Can you use Sludge Bomb?" he asked me.

"No," I answered.

"How about Earthquake? Can you do that?"

"No, Mandite,"

"Steel Wing?"

"Mandite, I don't have wings,"

"Can you at least use Fly?" I turned so that I looked more comfortably at him over my shoulder, raising an eyebrow.

"You wish," I answered.

"Well," Mandite said, getting agitated, "can't you at least do Hyper Beam?"

"Good choice!" Ivan yelled, "Aruku, use Hyper Beam!" I looked back at Aruku, ready to send an aura sphere into his unsuspecting face, but too late. A large beam of hot light shot towards me. Thinking on my toes, I rendered an aura sphere, drawing upon my power to make it quickly. And, before the actual heat singed my fur, I flung the aura sphere into the blinding light, causing a large explosion to occur. I was surrounded by the smoke that whirled around the powerful reaction, and taking advantage of the cover, I jumped as high as I could into the air. As the smoke cleared away, I could tell that everyone else was looking for me as I started to fall down back to Sinnoh – everyone but Mandite, the only one who was capable of seeing through the thickest of fogs. Luckily, he was simply staring straight, so he wouldn't lend out a dead giveaway on my attack. But I also knew that luxrays had excellent vision, and was capable of seeing through walls. Did Aruku spot me as I jumped into the air? I controlled my rapid descent, so that I would land somewhere over or around Aruku for better chance at surprising him.

It was too bad that Aruku, in fact, did see me. Aruku crouched low, looking up at me, and pounced. He was a very strong luxray, and he reached my altitude in no time. Okay, concentrate – it was too bad that my plan didn't work, but let's take this to my advantage. I'll combat in the air, since Aruku is here. No problem; this is just like swimming through water – it's just I'm sinking like a rock.

I had begun to fall before Aruku did, so I was below him, making me a weak target to his claws. I began to plan an attack from my vantage point.

"Lucario!" I heard Mandite's voice call to me, "Work with gravity, not against it – get above Aruku!" Mandite may know nothing at all about pokemon moves, but when it comes to fighting strategies, Mandite was king. I could imagine that his Uncle Tally, being a knight, taught him a strong foundation, and then Mandite himself honed his thinking skills. Every time I had seen him parry an attack, it was done so easily and almost casually. He had the eyes and the mind of a soldier.

"Aruku, use Iron Tail!" Ivan commanded, and the spiked end of the wiry luxray tail began to glow white. If I wasn't careful, this attack could knock me into the ground.

The swinging mace swung down towards me.

"Lucario, get that tail!" Mandite shouted, and the gears of his plan clicked in place in my mind. I flung my arm out and grabbed the whip-like part of Aruku's tail. Using the strength of my good arm, I swung Aruku by his tail around in a complete circle once before letting go of him, gravity aiding Aruku's velocity as the luxray rocketed down. I fell after him, giving him one final burst of acceleration by a short blast of aura from my paws. Aruku slammed into the cobblestone, creating a crater on impact, with me falling paws stretched forth.

"Lucario, roll!" Mandite's command made me realize that I was about to hit the ground harshly myself. So, to soften the impact, I curled up into a somersault just as my paws brushed the surface of the street. The momentum I had gained during the fall was put into forward motion rather than downward. I rolled several times before I uncurled in mid-roll and landed on my feet. Whipping around to look at Aruku hoping he was all right, I heard Mandite say,

"That was the most impressive ten seconds I have seen you at combat." But the fight wasn't over. Aruku struggled to get to his feet, shaking violently; he finally managed, and shook himself over, stomping the ground as if he was never touched at all. I growled, backing up so that I could listen to Mandite without him needing to yell.

"Are you left-handed or right-handed?" he whispered to me urgently. I look back at him, wondering why was he asking such a question.

"I'm fine with my right – why?"

"You'll see," Mandite quickly answered, "are you okay with your left?"

"I guess so," I said, not sure if I really was fine with my left – luckily, it was the one that was injured. If it had been my right paw, then I wouldn't be able to use my claws as effectively. I preferred to attack with that paw and defend with my left.

"Do you remember to do that blue bone attack you used against Zhoke?" Mandite further interrogated.

"You mean Bone Club? Yes – why?"

"Can you react to sight within ten milliseconds?" Mandite asked, ignoring my earlier question.

"Wha- what?"

"Just repeat after me!" he hissed before shouting, "Lucario, use Bone Club!" I closed my eyes, and focused my aura at my paws, holding them together side by side. Then, I drew them apart, as aura took shape as a long, thin bone. I reopened my eyes, spinning my staff in a wide circle in front of me, before slashing it to my side in one, long swoop.

"Lucario," Mandite whispered again, "Try your best to keep me in your vision, and copy me, all right?" Mandite made it seem obvious what the plan was, but somehow, I did not get a clue. However, I followed Mandite's orders, taunting Aruku as I slowly circled around the battlefield, with Mandite becoming more and more easier to see. Luxray stayed within a sraight line of me, so that eventually he had his back turned to Mandite. He couldn't see that Mandite had a broken branch within his hands.

"Aruku, use Shock Wave!" Ivan declared.

"Charge!" Mandite hollered, and I sprung forth, spinning the bone in my paws. I veered off to one side to avoid being paralyzed, and swung my staff low like Mandite swung his branch, knocking Aruku off his feet. Mandite thrust the branch into the air vertically, and so did I, the end locking underneath the luxray's jaw. Aruku was pushed upwards, and I slid behind his now-mangy figure and used my left arm to shoot him across the arena, engulfed in blue aura. I quickly rushed to meet him, and mirrored Mandite's upward slash. I jumped to join Aruku's flailing body, and used a downwards slash to knock him into the ground.

"Lucario!" Mandite yelled, reminding me that I couldn't see him from my backside, but my opponent had gotten to his feet, and lunged at me with his fangs flaring with electricity. Instinctively, I dropped down to the ground on my back. As he sailed over me, I rolled, kicking my feet into Aruku's stomach. The luxray slammed into a nearby tree with his side, before collapsing on the ground. Now, the time for him to get up and continue the match was ticking from ten seconds down.

"Eight," Mandite whispered, watching the limp figure in the grass struggle to make it to his feet.

"Seven," I looked over to Ivan, who looked completely shocked by the state of his pokemon.

"Six," Ivan started to shout out his pokemon's name.

"Five," The boy was running now.

"Four," Aruku was shaking uncontrollably as he urged himself to stand.

"Three," Aurora, who had been watching silently, gasped.

"Two," The determination in Aruku's eyes seemed to falter, and he closed them, groaning.

"One," And then Aruku gave way, and fell down, fainted. I heard Ivan's heavy running stop behind me, his breathing hard.

"Come back," Ivan panted, and Aruku morphed into red lights, shooting over my head and back into its capsule. I then silently watched Ivan pat the pokeball fondly.

"You did great today, Rukie," he whispered to the gleaming red and white surface, before placing it in a small backpack he had slung over his shoulder. Then, he looked up at me and Mandite, smiling and nodding.

"You guys too," he added, "in fact, you both were AMAZING!" I modestly looked down at my feet, while Mandite only shrugged and replied,

"Oh, don't be silly," in such a voice that made all of us laugh. Ivan, regaining control of his laughter, looked at Aurora standing behind Mandite, and smiled.

"You," he said, pointing at her, "are one lucky gal to have this guy right here." Ivan explained who he meant by giving me a firm pat on my back. I stumbled forward and before I could brace myself, I was nose to nose with Aurora. I blinked, not comprehending what was going on for a moment. Then I pulled away, my senses kicking in.

"Well," Aurora began, finally answering Ivan's question, giving me a incomprehensible look, "Lucario is a good friend." The green-haired boy only tilted his head back and laughed, leaving the two of us not knowing why.

"Hey, um, guys?" Aurora and I looked down to our feet to see Mandite looking up at us, "I am kinda in an awkward position right now, so can you..." The two of us backed away, giving Mandite some room, feeling equally embarrassed. Apparently, Mandite was still standing in front of Aurora when I had bumped into her.

"Sorry Mandite," she apologized. Ivan raised his eyebrows at her.

"Yeah, she can talk too," Mandite answered for him, and chuckled. Ivan nodded, and hoisted his backpack further up his shoulder.

"Well," he said, a tinge of morose in his voice, "it was a pleasure battling you guys," Mandite nodded, his eyes flashing a bright, blue color.

"You too," he said. Ivan waved good bye, and turned to leave. A vision of a battered, mangy luxray made me worry a bit as it flashed in my mind.

"Will Aruku be okay?" I called out to Ivan. The boy turned around and ruffled the hair on the back of his head.

"He'll be just fine," Ivan answered, "and I bet we learned a thing or two from you guys! Hope to see 'ya soon!" All three of us waved good bye in return.

"You too!" and then Mandite added quietly to himself, "I hope." I watched Ivan walk around the corner of the street, and he was gone. I sighed – I guess I have to refresh my judgments about pokemon trainers. I suppose they weren't all that bad, just like absols. I dropped my arm to my side and turned around to look at the other two. Mandite was picking up his backpack, settling it on its dignified perch atop his head.

"Man, I hope there are customized pokeballs somewhere in Hoenn," he muttered. I smiled, remembering Mandite's remark. The little warrior looked up at me, his amber eyes gleaming.

"Ready to for the road again, hot shot?" he asked, tugging on the straps of the backpack. I smiled and gave him a sharp nod.

"Hey Mandite," Mandite turned on his heel and looked at Aurora, "you're forgetting this." In her paw was the little, red manual that Mandite had dropped at some point during the battle. His yellow eyes stared at it for a while, before his waved it off with his hand.

"Your lucky day, then," he said, turning right back around, starting to walk off, "I think Lucario and I can do just fine without it." At that point, he had tilted himself just enough so I could catch his wink. I only smiled back. Aurora looked between me and Mandite, shrugging. She tossed it back onto the grass, before walking beside me, the two of us lead by Mandite. The late afternoon light shone brilliantly on her fur, bringing out the bright blues. I glanced down, feeling awestruck by the sight of her, and feeling a tad bit sad, reminding myself her heart was not with me.

"Lucario?" I turned my head so that I gazed at Aurora's beautiful face.

"Yes?"

"You were really something back there," she said, looking away from my eyes at the slightest angle. I just shrugged, feeling embarrassed that this fight had gotten so much positive attention.

"So are you saying that he was nothing before that?" We heard Mandite say, several yards ahead of us. Aurora snorted.

"Of course not," Mandite let us catch up to him before he remarked

"You know, I am so hungry I think I can eat a Stromboli right now." Aurora raised her eyebrows, not knowing what Stromboli was.

"Shelgon?"

* * *

**Ah! I messed up the ending - crap. This chapter was okay, better than the last one at least. **

**So... Yay or Nay? Rate and Review please! Thanks! ^^  
**


	17. Chapter 17

**Yet another one of my chapters written to explain something that would be important for understanding later. It's short, and rather rushed, but I hope it answers some questions. **

* * *

It was a dark, and eerie night in the Scarred Lands. That's what the local pokemon in the forest beyond the city called it. The uncharted canyons that split through the very floor beneath the canopy snaked along like multiple scars, giving it its name. And to think that many had died here, pokemon and human alike, just by falling into its ravines gave me chills. The wind that gusted through under twilight cover whistled and howled as it winded through the stony crevices, as if the spirits of the dead were still screaming, falling into a fathomless darkness. Only a week ago, Dhenalix had warned me of such place, and now here I am, cowering.

At the moment, I was dreaming – at least I hope I was, for it was a horrifying experience.

~*~

The sky around was gray, and stormy, perhaps just as dark and dreary as that one day we were in the mountains the day after my birthday. I stood upon a hill overlooking the pine trees, wet and cold from the rain, stretching over gentle, rolling slopes. Asides the falling droplets of water, there was not a stirring – no life but the vegetation was present. But then, something caught my eye – three figures were dashing and winding through the trunks below my panoramic view.

I found my legs running to keep up with them, but with ease. Soon enough, I was alongside them, examining the threesome.

Two of them were lucarios, one of them was holding an egg. I stared at the royal blue shell, smooth as the surface of a lake, cradled by two, protective arms. I looked up to gaze into the eyes of the mother. Her eyes were scarlet, just like many other lucarios. Behind her was a male lucario, a relative of some sort, or even the father of the egg she was holding. But he didn't look very much like a standard lucario to me; he possessed perhaps the most illustrious blue fur I have ever seen, keeping a lovely sheen even in the dank atmosphere. A spike on his paw had half of his sloughed off, making it a jagged reminder of some tragic event. However, what stunned me the most were his eyes, an ever constant, rolling, magenta tide. It seemed that you could see an ocean through his fuchsia lenses, so deep and nostalgic. It reminded me of someone else...

Something lengthy, rope-like, and black whipped around near the floor. I followed the long cord to its source, a creature that definitely looked very different from a pokemon. It was rather short and stocky, covered with brown fur with large, circular ears atop its head. Well, only one was circular – the left ear had a chunk of it missing, the empty space outlined by darkened flesh. He had a knapsack filled with what looked like metal plates of armor in one hand, and a golden, sheathed sword in the other. What and who was this?

"Talons," I heard a rash voice call from behind – it was the male. Talons glanced over his shoulder, revealing two, emerald green eyes.

"What is it?" he asked, in a deep, calming tone that was irregular to the pace he was running. This oblivious sense reminded me of another person that I had a hard time remembering.

"Are we close?" the male lucario asked, panting. Talons faced forward again and nodded.

"Yes, we are," Talons confirmed. True to his word, it wasn't long before the three came upon what they were looking for. All of them stopped before a great, hexagonal, golden-framed portal. I could tell it was a portal, because of Mandite's descriptions of it, but there was one thing that was odd. Instead of a blue membrane that one world from another, it was red. Beyond it, I could see a clear, sunny day with gentle, rolling plains set with shady trees and a lake. It looked like paradise compared to the side they stood on. I tore my eye away from the sight, and looked upon the pair of lucarios. The mother held her egg lovingly, with the male wrapping an arm around her, smiling a characteristic half smile. Talons, standing aside, waited anxiously.

"Well," he said, gesturing to the portal, "the egg is going to hatch soon – in you go." The mother looked up from her egg, her eyes shining from tears. It occurred to me that these three had been traveling for a while together. Talons sighed, pressing the palm of his paw to his pointed face, covering one of his resplendent, green eyes.

"Aw, c'mon," he whined, "you know how much I hate emotional good byes..."

"What do you want to name our child?" she asked, much to Talons's surprise. He let his paw drop to his side.

"Well, I – uh," Talons scratched the back of his shredded ear, "this is your kid – are you sure you want me to name it?"

"Absolutely," the male lucario said, nodding. The female also nodded, agreeing. Talons, rather pleased and overwhelmed by such a responsibility, chuckled.

"All righty then," Talons said, "if it is a boy, we all know you're gonna name him after me," The parents laughed a bit, but seemed to take this fact seriously. Talons, meaning it as a joke, suddenly frowned.

"I didn't mean for you guys to take it seriously," he said quickly, "it was only a joke." The male lucario shook his head, his eyes glimmering.

"We would be honored to name our child after you," he said, bowing, "Sir Talons." Talons modestly looked at his sheathed blade, flipping it over in his paws.

"Nah, it was nothing, really..."

"What would be a good name for a daughter?" the mother continued with her question, in which Talons replied,

"Aurora – I always wanted to see the Northern Lights." The mother and father glanced at each other, and nodded. Aurora... These two were her parents! No wonder the father seemed so familiar. I stood, looking, wondering why Aurora had never laid eyes on them.

"That's a wonderful name," the father said, smiling, "We'll keep both in mind." With that said, he started to help his mate cross worlds by holding her paw as she stepped through the red membrane. The female, taking a final glance at the brown-furred creature, she called,

"Good bye, Talons! We'll miss you!" and then went completely through, now in safe haven. The male took a step inside, following the mother. He paused, thinking, his eyes churning with various shades of red violet currents. The father looked up, finally, at Talons, who was standing in silent vigil, propping himself with his sheath.

"Thank you, Talons," the father said, giving him a last, sad smile, "thank you for everything." Talons, nodded, staying remarkably calm during this touching scene. I could tell from a glance the two were good friends, and yet Talons did not even seem at all affected by their leaving. This unnatural calmness reminded me of another, soldierly being. Raising a paw for a short, sharp salute, Talons bade them good bye, and the male passed through the membrane. Funny, this whole situation seems to be the reverse of our journey – Talons drop off two pokemon, we drop off Mandite. I smiled sympathetically, knowing they couldn't see me; if we ever succeeded getting Mandite home, this is what the final good bye probably looked like.

But, amid my soft feelings, I heard a loud snap of something heavy breaking a branch. I turned around to suddenly be blown away by fear. Running towards me was a massive creature, eyes bloodshot and wild, the gray fur mangy and dirty, galloping with a crouching position. The panting was a horrid, murderous breath and the rusting armor was like the bells of death. Weapons were attached on a belt that was wrapped around his waist. As it ran past me, of course not knowing I was there, it unsheathed three, sickly long metallic claws from its very paws, charging towards Talons, who was still staring at the portal.

"Talons, watch out!" I cried out to him, but my voice was washed away by the rain, unheard. I knew he couldn't hear me, but I still yelled. I want him to hear – he had to know that this beast was coming.

Just in the nick of time, I saw Talons's good ear flick, and he turned his head, seeing the enemy. Talons drew out his blade from its sheath, revealing the golden, jewel-studded glory. There was a clang, and slicing of metallic objects through the air, as the two engaged in deadly combat within a second. Despite his stature, Talons was lightning-quick with his moves, slashing and jabbing at the attacking predator while keeping on his toes, jumping around. It occurred to me that Talons fought and parried a lot like Mandite – or Mandite was a lot like him. Could he be...?

"I'm surprised you're still alive, Bruno!" I heard Talons snarl, as he used his elongated tail to whip the brute, sending him crashing into a tree. Splinters and wood chips sprayed everywhere, as he broke right through, the rest of the pine falling over. A growl emitted from the massive ton of muscle, and Bruno lunged, claws outstretched. In an instant, Talons flicked his right paw, the one that wasn't holding a blade, and out came three scythes of titanium alloy. With incredible strength, Talons jumped, grabbing fast to Bruno's wrist, before using his grip to throw the beast to the ground. Bruno's face dug deep into the dirt, making a deep trench in forest floor. Talons landed, his two feet and right paw firmly planted on the ground, his sword held across his face. I looked into those emerald eyes, the stare just as hard as the gem, and as cold as the rain that fell around us. At that moment, I couldn't help but feel a great respect for this warrior – or knight. Hopefully, this was a painful reminder not to mess with Sir Talons ever again, if that's what Bruno was after. Speaking of Bruno, I turned to see how he was doing. The arm that was out of sight of Talons reached for a odd shaped object, one that had a deadly sheen. It comprised of a hollow rod connected to a barrel like part, a handle, and a trigger. The tangy smell churned the contents in my stomach with a sickening feeling.

"Talons!" All eyes looked to the red portal, in which the male lucario, Aurora's father, had climbed through, seeing Talons was being attacked. The knight's eyes widened with fear.

"No, Aftrahn! Get back! Get back!" Talons called out to him desperately, "Aftrahn!" Bruno glanced between the two friends, and then an evil grin curled on his face, revealing yellowing incisors.

"I came to help you, Talons!" Aftrahn yelled back. Talons gave his friend a last glance, before he started running towards Bruno, sword held high. Bruno broke out into a wide smile, holding up the strange weapon, the hole in the cylinder at the front of it pointing at Aftrahn.

"It's your funeral," he said, in a deep, hissing croak, and pulled the trigger. A loud bang echoed in the forest, causing some flying creatures to take to the sky. At the portal, Aftrahn fell to the ground, limp and lifeless. This was not just fainting – the motionless lucario lay on the ground, eyes open, drained of the ocean that now gave way to an empty desert of pale pink. A dark, crimson fluid slowly leaked from his mouth, the final signature that signs his death contract. I felt the muscles in my legs become weak, and my head faint. He was dead.

Bruno now had the weapon pointed at Talons, who was standing still, breathing deeply, his eyes unforgiving and uneasy. I knew what he was thinking; what is the mother, Aftrahn's mate going to do now? Did she see? Talons's eyes flicked to the side, glancing at the portal. Bruno followed his eyes, and spotted a shocked, female lucario staring at her mate on the other side of it. Talons, seeing that Bruno had seen her, realized his mistake, and the price he must pay.

"Bruno," he said in a strong, unwavering voice, "if you're going to shoot anybody else, shoot me. Don't shoot anyone else – please." Talons sheathed his sword, throwing it aside, and knelt down, making himself vulnerable. Bruno, giving a glance at the devastated mother, grinned and pointed his weapon at the knight.

"All right," There was another, deafening bang, and Talons crumpled to the ground, clutching his arm and grimacing. An evil chuckle spewed from Bruno like boiling lava, and pointed his weapon again at Talons.

"You aim like your mom!" Talons claimed, his tone seemingly unaffected by the injury. Bruno seemed to roar and used his brute claws to grab the back of Talons's neck. Talons did not flinch one bit as he was dangled from the air uncomfortably.

"I don't want to kill you like him!" Bruno snarled, pointing at Aftrahn's remote body, "I want you to _suffer._" And he used the weapon to immobilize Talons's other arm, in which Talons only gritted his teeth. I stood, watching the scene, helpless. Oh how I wished I could take that sword that Talons tossed aside and use it to stab that monster in the back, and save Talons. But I couldn't move anymore, do anything anymore – only watch as the immense tragedy unfold.

"Let's not forget your little legs, shall we?" And with two blasts of the weapon, Talons's feet hung limply from his body.

"And that tail," and the base of Talons's tail vertebrae was shot. Bruno by now, was laughing, the booming, maniacal cackles filled me with such loathing as he carried Talons by the scruff of his neck to the portal. The female lucario watched, just as stone still as I, holding her egg tightly. But now I could walk, and I followed Bruno unwillingly. All I wanted to do is wake up and forget about this whole affair, but the nightmare kept pulling me forward greedily. I stopped beside Talons and Bruno, where the brute had dropped him to the floor, next to his motionless friend. The emerald eyes of the knight stared at Aftrahn, and then averted them, sighing. It was the only pain that was affecting him; not his wounded arms, not his injured legs, but his dead friend, the one that thanked him for everything.

"What should I do with you know?" Bruno pondered aloud in a drawling manner, tapping the tip of the weapon on the palm of his paw. Suddenly, there was a bang and Bruno howled. Talons smirked – Bruno had accidentally shot through his paw. Infuriated, Bruno rounded on Talons, eyes burning.

"You'll learn not to laugh at me!" he growled, grinding his nasty teeth, "You don't even learn how to use a gun at your damn castle!" He knelt down in front of him holding the weapon as both Aurora's mother and I watched silently. Bruno reached out, using the "gun" point to trace the gash in Talons ear with a sickening smile.

"I already got your hearing screwed," he muttered to himself, "should I take away your sight? Nah – I want you to see _everything_." The way he said "everything" gave me a terrible feeling in my stomach. What did he mean?

"But," he continued, "I'll teach you to never laugh at me – again." With that said, Bruno vigorously grabbed Talons by the back of his neck and pointed the gun at the point where his jaw connected with his skull. In the moment before Bruno pulled the trigger, Talons seemed to look directly at me, knowing that I was there. And, looking into his eyes, I knew he was not afraid. He closed them as the gun shot, the blast breaking the hinge of his jaw. As the left side of his mouth went slack and drooped, Bruno gave another, aggravating cackle, but this time, Talons could not speak audibly if he wanted to. The beast stood up, admiring his torture methods with malevolent pleasure. I glanced at him with utmost disgust and disdain, before gazing at Aurora's mother, who still was watching like a statue in a fountain, the water streaming from her eyes.

Most unfortunately, Bruno managed to catch her eye. The mother's eyes widened and she ran off, stumbling as she went, clutching her egg. He looked back at Talons, who was watching with a pleading look. Don't kill her, don't kill anybody. But, with a sly smile, Bruno took one foot and stepped into the portal.

"Ooh-aw!" Talons cried out the best he could, and the brute turned around, looking at him with mock surprise.

"Oh, that's right!" he said, dropping his gun on the ground, "No shooting!" Talons glared at him, wishing he could choke him then and there. So did I.

"But who said I couldn't use this!" Bruno unsheathed his claws once more, and this time it flared with zapping, indigo-hued electricity, casting a ghostly light on the marred, cruel grin.

"Bye now," he taunted, waving at Talons before slipping into the portal. Talons immobile arm suddenly tightened his arm as he clenched his paw into a tight fist, his knuckles cracking. Just beyond the portal, I saw the brute take the female lucario by the scruff of her neck as she desperately tried to protect her egg, which she had hidden from view. Knowing what probably happened next, I wanted to turn away, and wake up. But, my body was frozen, and stood staring as the silhouette of the monster sunk his claws into her stomach. Her scream was the last thing I heard before the scene before me shattered like breaking glass.

~*~

I bolted up straight, panting with my eyes wide, my paws wet from cold sweat. My body shook violently as scenes came flooding to my mind's eye, repeating each horrible part over and over again.

Now I know what happened to Aurora's parents. If Aurora had seen what I had seen, I could only imagine the grief and unbearable fear she would undertake. But, as I looked down on her beside me, her face content and peaceful, I knew that she was safe tonight. Oh Aurora... Even though you have no clue what really had happened to your mother and father, I am so sorry. It was a miracle she had managed to sleep through my fitful nightmare while she was so close, our sleeping area beneath an age-old conifer, its branches twisted in such odd angles. I breathed the cold, night air, chilled by the autumn wind. Now that I had such horrific scenes implanted in my head, how am I going to get rid of them and live sanely?

As I wondered about such topic, a movement beyond the trees in the distance caught my attention. I fixed my attention at the shadow – it was rather bulky, and large, moving silently along. And it was coming this way. Fear seized me – what if Bruno was the dangerous creature Dhenalix had warned me about? And what if that shadow was him? It was urgent to wake up Mandite, immediately; he would know what to do. Heart pounding, I scrambled to the other side of the tree, where Mandite is sleeping.

Or was - Mandite was gone.


	18. Chapter 18

"Mandite?" I felt myself start to panic, turning my head this way and that. Where could he be? The dark figure in the trees had stopped moving around, and was standing still. For the moment, Aurora and I were safe, but time is short. I had to find Mandite – the problem was that if I went to go look for Mandite, I would leave Aurora unprotected.

"Mandite, where are you?" I hissed, still searching for the little warrior. All I had to do was look for a pair of glowing, yellow eyes, I reasoned. That would only be possible if he was facing me – I wouldn't be able to see them if he was turned around, or he was far away. Or if he was laying face-down on the ground, dead. I shuddered, remembering Bruno's merciless actions. If that dark shadow I saw was him, I sure hope he hasn't found Mandite.

"Mandite!" I whispered, wanting to be heard, and then not wanting to. It was perfectly possible that the thing would hear me too.

"Don't worry child," a feminine voice, gentle and dreamy, "you are safe here." Slowly, I turned around, to face what at first looked like three, pastel-pink, glowing crescents. But when I focused my night vision, a body was connected, with a rounded abdomen that tapered into a graceful long neck. Atop that neck was a pointed head set with two warm, auburn eyes, and crowned by two metallic moons and a pink sphere. It took me a second to realize who was floating before me, her radiating power relieving me of the pain and fright from my dream. I knelt on my knee and bowed.

"Cresselia..." I mumbled, and the crowned head nodded.

"Rise, Lucario," Cresselia said, "and come with me." The Lunar Pokemon glided through the air easily, making her way towards the dark shadow. Obligingly, I followed her through the forest, the shadow becoming more and more evident. It was not before long when I saw a white plume that rose over the top of a head, and two, magnificent, icy blue eyes glowing in the gloom of the midnight forest. A glowing ring of crimson ridges circled around the head, which connected it to a body seemed to be created out of shadows itself. As we grew closer, my mind was at once at unease. I glanced down, and noticed something sitting a little ways off, touching his feet innocently. It was Mandite, to my great relief and despair. The pokemon sitting across from him was Darkrai.

"What is it now?" a deep, whisper came from the Legendary pokemon of nightmares. Cresselia seemed to flutter her crescent wings in distress.

"It seems to me that you have disturbed yet another sleeper!" she said angrily, out of her common, gentle character, "First this child and now him." Mandite stirred in his seat, and said in a small voice,

"It's all right with me," Mandite said, "I have nightmares all the time either way." Cresselia now turned to look at Mandite, with utmost surprise.

"Poor child," she muttered to herself, gazing at Mandite with a soft expression. I simply stared, not sure what to think. Here I stood with Mandite, and two Legendaries that were rumored to despise each other in every way. Darkrai was rumored to be an evil villain, causing other pokemon harm through his nightmares, but here he seemed to be peacefully standing atop two thin legs, merely watching us with his large, azure eyes. Thinking back on my nightmare earlier, I decided I could ask him about it.

"Darkrai, I -" The Legendary simply looked at me, calmly, but his gaze brought the whole fear of every bad dream possible into me. I shuddered, unable to continue with my question.

"Darkrai, don't look at him like that," Cresselia hissed, and Darkrai lowered his gaze, looking at the ground.

"Continue," he said, his figure bowed.

"Well, I had a dream about a certain event," I said, still shaken, "and I am very sure that it had happened some years ago, as if I was looking at the past." Darkrai folded his arms.

"And what happened?" he asked. I felt my legs become numb with the thought of telling that dream again, but this was a Legendary asking me. How am I supposed to say no? So I did tell them – I told them everything, for I remembered every single, horrifying detail. And as I did, I saw Cresselia frown, and Darkrai become stiff. Mandite just sat there, dazed by something. When I was finally finished, I was trembling from fear, visions of a murderer with thick claws, and the final scream ringing in my ears. Everyone was quiet and still, with only the wind to fill in the silence. Finally, Darkrai sighed heavily.

"I am sorry you had to go through that," he said, sounding extremely guilty. Cresselia only smiled sympathetically, floating over to him so she could give him a comforting pat with her tiny paw.

"It's not your fault," Cresselia mumbled, "pokemon just tend to think of bad things when you're around." Darkrai glanced up at her, seemingly unappreciative of her comment.

"Thanks," Darkrai said, sarcastically, before continuing seriously, "but this time it was intentional." The rest of us froze with shock and disbelief – how could anyone bear to send something that horrible to another?

"Giratina decided it was finally time for you to see the reason why he needed to vacate the Pokemon World of alien species," Darkrai went on wearily, "I just never knew that the dream was going to turn out that way." So, Giratina was behind this – again. This time, I knew why he wanted Mandite and the rest of the alien species out, so that he could restore some peace to the rest of the Pokemon World. I only wished that I didn't have to learn it that way.

"Mandite is a good child, I have no reason to doubt that," the Legendary continued, "but Giratina fears that if anyone is following him that poses a threat must not be drawn here by him. Mandite is much more renowned than you think, Lucario." I looked down at Mandite, who rocked back and forth on his heels, not making eye contact with me. All along, he had been hiding that piece of information from me, and I never knew. The way Mandite was rocking nervously told me that he was waiting for me to get angry with him, only this time he wasn't going to say anything back.

"Hey, Mandite," I said, feeling no sort of frustration of any kind, "I understand if you had to keep any secrets from me – and I am sorry it had to be suddenly revealed like that." Mandite blinked, and looked up at me with round, yellow eyes.

"So... Did U – I mean Talons had been shot like that?" the little warrior asked in an extremely timid voice – it was unusual that Mandite would speak that way. It sounded so sad and yearning, unlike Mandite's outgoing tone. It surprised me.

"Yes," I said, "why?" Mandite sat down again, and touched the tip of his feet, saying nothing else. Cresselia clucked her tongue in sympathy, as she glided over to him. Darkrai still stared at the ground, not wanting to give anyone a nightmare.

"And I could assume the color of the portal was blue?" he asked me, reminding me that I had forgotten to mention the portal's color. It was an insignificant fact compared to the rest of the dream's content, but since Darkrai asked, I simply told him,

"No – it was red," Darkrai suddenly looked up at the sky, as if he realized something important.

"Red?" he asked, not quite sure he heard correctly. Not sure what to think, I nodded. Somehow, the color of the portal was a vital clue to a bigger understanding.

"Yes, it was red," The thin legs supporting Darkrai shrank back into the rest of his body as he began to float higher into the air.

"Darkrai, where are you going?" Cresselia demanded, noticing Darkrai drifting away. Darkrai turned around briefly.

"If Heatran asks where I am," he spoke, "tell him that I am going to see Giratina." Before Cresselia could ask why, Darkrai flew off into the night, once again becoming a dark shadow in the distance, leaving us in silence. Cresselia shook her head, and muttered something about Darkrai being a lunatic. Watching her, I was wondering why she, Darkrai, and Heatran were out here in the Scarred Lands instead of their homes? I could imagine why Darkrai would, since he had to give me the nightmare message, but the other two seemed to have no relevance whatsoever.

"What brings you here?" I found myself asking the deity of full moon. Cresselia turned her crowned head to gaze at me with a gentle expression, but within those sun-lit, earthen pools I saw a glimmer of concern.

"The portal in your dream led Bruno somewhere in the Pokemon World – our universe," she explained, "and now he has been making frequent trips here, according to Giratina. We're not exactly sure why he's here and what he wants, but Mewtwo suggests that Bruno is trying to create an army of pokemon to take control of this world and his own." I shuddered – thinking about someone as cruel as Bruno taking over all the pokemon regions and throwing them into chaotic stupor was frightening. Surely, Bruno's ways would be spread through the pokemon and humans, breaking the balance between peace and war. There would be a war all right – a massacre.

"The Legendaries are trying to locate Bruno – several teams have been assigned to sweep through their home region. Next year, it would be the Regis' turn." Cresselia continued, "Until then, Darkrai, Heatran, and I are looking across the whole of Sinnoh for him."

"If you find any trace of him, please let us know," she concluded. I bowed, showing that I would. Cresselia smiled, and then, ushering a quiet Mandite and I, she started to lead us back to our sleeping area. As I walked through the dark, I began to realize that this whole journey to bring Mandite home was much more than I bargained for. That one night, watching him touch his feet so innocently hours after we first met across the campfire, I could have never dreamed what a predicament this situation brought me into. Never once I have ever thought that this would be so serious.

"Why me?" I found myself wondering aloud. Cresselia gave me a sideways glance.

"What do you mean, Lucario?" she asked.

"I mean – I am not trying to blame anyone for this – why was it me who must carry this responsibility? Could it have been someone else?" Cresselia sighed sadly, closing her eyes to think.

"It could have been anyone else, Lucario," she said, "but a random twist of fate landed Mandite with you." I lowered my eyes – I am glad to know and travel with Mandite, but all of the troubles it has and will cost me was back breaking. If I had known about this before hand, I may have left Mandite to fend for himself.

But how could I?

"Lucario," Cresselia began, "I know it has been hard for you to cope with the secrets and dangers, and on behalf of the Legendaries, I'm telling you that we are all grateful for your sacrifice. You were kind-hearted enough to take responsibility for a stranger, and make him into your friend. If it was someone else, Mandite may still be wandering throughout Sinnoh by himself without our notice."

"Then how come Giratina knew he was with us?" I asked, not sure why there was such a difference between Mandite traveling by himself and him traveling with us. Cresselia small mouth curled into a smile.

"Mew," she simply answered.

"Why Mew?" Since when did a Legendary become my guardian angel?

"Lucario, are you familiar with the story of Sir Aaron's lucario and the Tree of Beginning?" Was I? That story had spread through the lucario colonies like wildfire, all claiming Sir Aaron's lucario a hero. I remember my father fondly telling me that legend every other night as a child before going to bed. It had been my favorite story to listen to.

"Yes," I said, "I've heard it plenty of times."

"Then I am going to tell you a different story about the same lucario," Cresselia said, smiling, "do you want to hear it?" I nodded, intrigued by this new version.

"Once upon a time, back in the ages when pokeballs did not exist, there lived a mother and father lucario in the marine colony." she began, as Mandite and I listened, "This pair had two children – their first one died, and so a second child was granted." Unlike the tales I have heard about Sir Aaron's lucario, this one sounded eerily familiar. I thought about my childhood.

"This second child grew up to be a fine lucario, bonded with a mate, and raised a their own child. But it wasn't before long when a civil war broke out, and the lucario decided that he must help end it so that his child could live in a more, peaceful world." At that point, I couldn't help but interrupt.

"If Sir Aaron's lucario had a family, how come he never mentioned them?" I asked, but Cresselia shushed me.

"The lucario eventually found Sir Aaron, and trained under his new master. And, during all this time, he had forgotten about his family – a sad and unfortunate demise. So, his bloodline was passed down without notice. Nobody ever knew that there was descendants from him because he wasn't there to claim them."

"So, when the lucario had sacrificed his life to save Mew and the Tree of Beginning, Mew decided to honor him by looking over his posterity – if she could find one. So, she looked throughout the region of Sinnoh for lucarios that shared his wave patterns. That search brought her to a mother lucario named Anka and her second riolu living in the marine colony." Cresselia concluded, winking, "And I'll leave you to figure out the rest of it." I was beside myself with shock and surprise. Instead of feeling proud and honored, I didn't know what to think. Was I supposed to be happy? Was Sir Aaron's lucario really my ancestor? That story seemed so much like a fictional happening, since I thought it barely had to do anything with me. It turns out that I am related to that very lucario. I don't know how to feel right now.

"To finally answer your question," Cresselia said, "Mew one day checked on you and she happened to see Mandite as well. She reported this to Giratina, and so now he knows." The Lunar Pokemon drifted over to the tree I was once sleeping under, and where Aurora still slept. She bent her crowned head down to peer at the content female lucario.

"Is this your mate?" she asked, and I felt myself get very warm in the face.

"No," I stated promptly.

"You wished she was," Mandite piped up, and I glared at him. Cresselia chuckled, watching the two of us.

"No," I retorted, "it's just... Not like _that."_ I love Aurora, I really do, but to consider her as being my mate was out of the question. I have never even dared to think of such thing while she pined for Zhoke. Well, maybe once... My face was now very hot with embarrassment. Mandite was doubling up in silent laughter, as Cresselia smiled.

"I must leave you now," she said graciously, beginning to float away just as Darkrai did, "you are a brave soul, with greatness running in your veins – take care, Lucario." I bowed respectfully in return, and Cresselia sped off into the night, disappearing from view. Sitting back down again next to Aurora, I thought about the conversation that took place this night. Mandite went to his place on the other side of the tree, claiming he didn't want to catch the cooties. But we were still in comfortable talking distance. I was staring up at the stars, thinking about what has happened so far when Mandite started to talk.

"Did you ever know you were related to this famous guy, or felt that way?" he asked. I closed my eyes, the truth finally sinking into my mind. It was actually very interesting, and indeed I am proud of my heritage.

"No – I thought that the story was so remote in my perspective..." I let my dialogue drift off, smiling. I heard Mandite shift around on the other side of the tree.

"At least you're not the famous person," Mandite chuckled, perhaps not very whole-heartedly, "there's always this guy who wants to take you down when you're famous." By the sound of his voice, Mandite was speaking wistfully, perhaps wanting to be a normal child for once. He was a child, and yet he's a knight in training. It made me wonder how his Uncle Tally treated him.

"Did you ever wish to be normal?" I asked him, leaning back on the tree. Mandite remained silent, perhaps thinking the question over for a while, before admitting,

"Once or twice – but life would be really boring if I was normal all the time, you understand?" I thought about it – before Aurora, my days have passed on by as one, packet of solitary wanderings without nothing much happening. Aurora's quirky attitude had made everyday some kind of little adventure. Adding Mandite to the mix changed everything – now I am taking role as a hero, or a failure. But, thinking back to the memories of us opening fortune cookies, playing chess, racing through forests, running from combees, and winning pokemon battles, brought a sense of gladness. None of that would have happened if I denied Mandite's request for home. Even if I had to face this difficulty, I am glad I said yes.

"I understand," I smiled.

"Good," he answered, shifting around.

"Mandite?"

"Yah,"

"Do you know anything about Sir Talons from my dream? Was he famous?" My question was met with a long silence.

"Mandite?"

"Yes, I knew him," Mandite's voice was so soft, I had to strain to hear it.

"Did he know Bruno before... when that happened?" I asked him, and there was a long pause again.

"Yes – they knew each other for many, many years." Mandite's voice seemed cold, "Talons raised him, you know." This response shocked me – if Talons raised Bruno, then how come Bruno and Talons hated each other?

"Talons must have been a terrible baby-sitter, then," I reasoned – if Talons had treated him terribly, then that would perfectly explain their hatred. The answer I got was completely unexpected.

"He was not!" Mandite hissed angrily, "Didn't you say he wanted to protect his friends? Isn't that enough proof?" Taken aback, I countered,

"He could have been a bad child-raiser, but a good friend."

"He wasn't!" Mandite continued, still fuming.

"How would you know?" I asked, sticking to my point.

"Because he raised me, dummy!" Mandite seemed to explode, "I know because he raised me like I was his kin! He's my uncle! Uncle Tally!" Mandite's voice cracked as he broke into a sob, the very first time I have ever witnessed him break down. Meanwhile, I was set aside with surprise – that would explain why Talons and Mandite fought in similar styles, and acted so calmly, unafraid. That would explain Mandite's dazed expression as he listened to my tale of that dream. I listened to the Mandite's small voice hiccup as he cried. With that said, he had proved me wrong – if Talons had raised him, then Talons must have been the best uncle to rear such a unique, wonderful kid. And Talons must have been much more than a knight with an apprentice – he must have been a real uncle that really did care. The vision of him staring straight at me, his emerald eyes hard as the stone, before he was shot through the jaw, stayed in my mind.

"Mandite," I said, feeling very ashamed, "I'm sorry for what I said – I was wrong, and I am sorry that you had to blatantly tell me that to prove so." I waited for a response from the little warrior. Would he continue to be moody, or forgive me?

"I would have to tell you who Uncle Tally was, eventually," Mandite finally said, "and like he always said, 'there's no use crying that much about it, unless you want to fill my fifty gallon saltwater tank'." We both chuckled.

"And what did you usually say?" I asked.

"'Okay'," Mandite answered, "and then Uncle Tally would say, 'I appreciate doing with you, Mandite – now fill 'er up!'." Again, we laughed weakly. He made it clear he missed his uncle very much. I stared up at the stars, thinking about where could his uncle be. Did he miss his nephew as well? Was he hunting down Bruno for revenge? Fore some reason, that reminded me of Darkrai's sudden leaving earlier that night.

"Mandite?"

"Wassup?"

"Why do you think Darkrai left so suddenly after I said the portal I saw in my dream was red?" I heard Mandite tap the side of his face, a soft "pat, pat".

"Funny – I was about to ask you the same thing,"

"Well, I know nothing about portals,"

"And I know nothing about pokemon except blaziken sounds like a type of spicy meat and mammal-like pokemon lays eggs,"

"That's more than I know," I pointed out.

"Well – you know the portal was red, at least, and it was in the shape of a square."

"Hexagon," I corrected.

"See? You know more than I do about portals." I only chuckled. Feeling sleep creep into my limbs, I let the question remain unanswered for now. My thoughts once again drifted to Bruno, running in a crouched position, his masculine figure making him look very different than anything I have ever seen.

"What species is Bruno?" I asked Mandite.

"He's a rat,"

"Really? But isn't Talons a rat, too?"

"But Uncle Tally is not hopped up on steroids," Mandite said.

"Steroids?" I asked, not knowing what they were.

"Ah, never mind." Again, silence took the foothold, the weariness of the lack of sleep draining my energy. I closed my eyes, slumping, my tail brushing against Aurora's.

"Hey Lucario," I heard Mandite whisper.

"What?"

"Is your wedding ceremony going to be indoors or outdoors?"

"My... Wedding?" I asked, not comprehending what he meant.

"You know – the one you're having when you and Aurora get married."

"Mandite... There is no wedding." I groaned.

"Oh yes there is," Mandite teased, "and I'm gonna be there!"

"I don't know what you're talking about..." I mumbled, sleep dragging my conscience in the mud.

"And there is going to be muffins, right?" Mandite asked hopefully.

"Mandite, Aurora and I are not going to get married, so can you please drop the subject?" I said, turning over, my tail curling around Aurora's unintentionally.

"I know – I'll plan the design of the ceremony!"

"Good night, Mandite," I moaned, wanting to sleep.

"Do you like pink ribbons?"

"Good night, Mandite,"

* * *

**Another chapter to answer some questions. I hope it's all right... =(**


	19. Chapter 19

Something was nudging the side of my head, urging me to open my eyes. Not feeling as though I had enough sleep, I groaned in protest. Instead of going away, the force kept on poking my head. Wearily, I moaned again, a sliver of pale light appearing in my vision as I let an eye peek. Nothing of interest; I closed my eye again, and tried my best to resume sleeping.

"That's funny," I heard a young voice somewhere off in space, "he's not moving."

"Let him sleep a bit more," I heard another voice, this time belonging to a female, "you tend to wake people too early." Aurora did sound a little tired as well. I heard Mandite's feet scuffle on the ground.

"Aurora," he gasped, "I think he's dying!" There was a exasperated sigh from the female lucario.

"Don't leave me, Lucario!" Mandite cried out in a mock, heartbroken tone, "I won't have anyone to play chess with!" And, to my great surprise and displeasure, I felt Mandite grab the scruff of my neck and began to shake me vigorously. My eyes flung open, my brain feeling rather bruised.

"Mandite, let go!" I barked, "I'm fine!" Unfortunately, Mandite continued to shake me, despite my terse response.

"No Lucario don't do this to me!" Mandite bawled, "Don't die now!"

"If you continue to make my head discombobulated, then I will die!" I cried in dismay, my head pounding, "Now, if you please, let go!" Mandite snickered, and let go of me, causing me to fall back. My back hit the ground hard, and I grimaced. The little warrior skipped around to the other side of the tree to put on his armor, humming cheerfully.

"Why must you go and make a fool of yourself all the time?" I muttered, sitting back up again, rubbing my head. Aurora smiled sympathetically as Mandite called,

"Me? Oh ho ho, nonsense! It is you making a fool of yourself, laying there like a dead body."

"Why couldn't you just let him sleep?" Aurora complained for me. Mandite peeked around the tree, putting on a shoulder plate, his jade eyes flashing.

"Early birds get the worms," he said matter of factly, "or, early Mandite gets the donut." He added afterwards, a smug smile on his face. Aurora rolled her eyes, sighing. I loved it when she did that – it reminded me of the times when she was bothering me, except this time she was the one being bothered.

"You're always thinking of eating, aren't you?" I muttered to myself before saying, "But, what if you were the one who wanted to sleep and I was the one shaking you like a leaf?" Mandite only laughed, slipping on his mask.

"As if that's ever going to happen," he chuckled, "I want my donut, thank you very much." I snorted in response, rising to my feet. As I stood, my head hit one of the lower branches of the tree with a hard "thud!". I winced, paw over the inflicted area, and sat right back down. Aurora giggled, watching me. Feeling rather clumsy and embarrassed, my face became hot.

"That's not funny!" Mandite said in a disapproving manner, "Hitting your head on a branch hurts a lot, you know." Instead of watching Aurora feel guilty, I supported her.

"It's not as if you were ever tall enough to hit yours on a branch, anyways." Aurora smiled at me, and I winked back, grinning. Meanwhile, Mandite was in utmost distress.

"That's not nice!" he wailed. Apparently, I found one of Mandite's weak points – it seems to me he hated being picked on for his height.

"You deserved it," I called back to him.

"Since when?" he spat, "I was thinking about giving this fortune cookie to you, but I guess I'm going to eat it myself." He dangled the wrapped treat with his hand. I haven't ate a fortune cookie for a while, and his taunt sparked some longing in me.

"All right, I'm sorry," I apologized, "may I have the cookie, please?" I could tell Mandite was smirking under that mask of his with the mere pleasure of getting me to shut up. He tossed me the fortune cookie, which I caught and examined it. It was broken – again. There was some, new, cookie-message for me from Giratina, I presume.

"That's one of the last ones left," Mandite said, as he zipped up his backpack before hoisting it up on his head, "so enjoy it while it lasts!" This comment made me stop and think for a moment. Meanwhile, Mandite walked past us, his backpack bouncing on the top of his head as he hummed happily.

"I thought you bought a lot more fortune cookies from the Chinese restaurant back at the city." I pointed out, "What happened to them?" Mandite stopped in mid step, and let loose a laugh.

"You're not the only one who eats those cookies, Lucario," the little warrior laughed, "my tummy gets hungry for fortune cookies, too!"

"Yes I know, but _that_ much?" I said with disbelief. To this, Mandite only shrugged casually, not really caring too much, as he continued to walk.

"I didn't eat dinner yesterday, so what do you expect?" I sighed, shaking my head, silently offering the two pieces of fortune cookie to Aurora. Surprised, Aurora shook her head.

"No, Lucario,"

"Take them," I said, my other paw closed around the slip of paper, "go on." Hesitantly, Aurora reached out and took a piece, leaving me with the other. Carefully nibbling her half of the cookie, I read the tiny slip of paper.

_Be cautious. Someone may be following._

I felt cold chills run up and down my spine. What could Giratina mean this time? Thinking back to last night's events, I felt I had a guess, and it was not good for us. Knowing Aurora knew nothing about Bruno, I didn't say anything about the slip of paper. I crumbled it in my paw, planning to add it to the rest of the slips of paper that Mandite had collected over the course of this journey. Even though I planned to keep the dream a secret from Aurora until I felt that she needed to know, I obviously wasn't covering that terrible fact with my expression.

"Lucario," Aurora asked, sounding worried, "are you okay?"

"Yeah – just tired," I said, nodding. Aurora's gaze softened a bit.

"Don't crash into any trees then, all right?" she said, giving me a pat on the shoulder. I smiled at her, feeling the warmth of my emotions flooding my body.

"I'll try my best," I answered.

"HEY! IS ANYONE COMING?!!"

~*~

By the time the sun had rolled to a high point in the sky, my mind was sharp and keen as if it did have a good night's rest. The forest floor here was made of stray needles from the low lying coniferous trees along with what the trees grew on – white stone. There were dried shrubs that grew in splits within the rock, but otherwise, the only vegetation were those trees. I had a vague memory about this place – it was bright and hot, like some alien world. This time, as I passed through here nine years older, it wasn't quite as hot, due to the fact autumn was beginning to pass into winter. It still looked the same, nonetheless. For a while, none of our voices had spoken as we traveled. We had nothing to say of importance. Filling in the silence was the wind rushing through the large ravines that split each rock island from each other, the echoes of a distant pokemon magnified by a canyon, and the sound of our feet marching across this deserted land. All this time, I was scanning around, looking for some ominous shadow skirting in the distance. Mandite seemed as though he was keeping watch, too.

"Ah crap," Mandite complained, finally adding voice to our silence, "I can't see beyond that big boulder." I could see what was beyond it, but I was not as low to the ground as Mandite was.

"Maybe if you walked on stilts, then you could see," I joked, the silence tiring me. Mandite looked back and glared at me as Aurora suppressed a laugh with a paw.

"Think you can be funny for your -" I gritted my teeth and used my paw to gesture to not say anything at all. I could feel Aurora eyes on my back.

"- buddy?" Mandite, quickly switching his words around, and I sighed with relief. Sometimes, I wished Mandite did not say anything at all. As Mandite turned right from the boulder, I felt an instinct that was pulling my insides to the left. It reminded me of when I was young, when I had a home to go to. No matter how far I swam out to sea, I found my way back, through strong currents and storms. There was this one time, in which my tiny riolu body was swallowed by a gyrados. Frightened, but remaining calm, due to my strength in the water, I swam out of the mouth at the right time. I gasped for breath at the surface in unknown water territory. However, I could find home – I swam for a day before collapsing on the shoreline before the beach cave where my parents were waiting for me. I always wondered how come I had this gut instinct that could find home when I needed to, and now that question may have an answer. When I asked mother about this feeling, she said that she had experienced it, too. Father didn't.

I guess this trait was passed down from my famous ancestor, Sir Aaron's lucario. He certainly had a knack of finding anyone without even knowing them, but what about his home? We would never know. I only suppose that he did, but never followed that strong feeling.

There was a question I had, though, in my mind. How come I just experienced this pull now? What about when I decided we would go to the western coast, where my home was located? How come I didn't feel anything at all? This part worried me – was my senses becoming dull from all these years of nomadic life? I am very certain I wish to keep this special homing instinct, but after this whole affair is over, where is home?

The pull was becoming more sharp, signaling my old memories of this experience – we were getting closer. And, so far, we have found only one sealed portal.

"This way, Mandite," I said, walking to the right. Mandite looked back at me with a puzzled expression that could be obviously seen through his mask.

"I thought west was that way," Mandite said, pointing the direction in which he was walking.

"You're going to hit a dead end that way," I said simply, "let's go this way."

"Since when did you become a walking GPS?" Mandite exclaimed to particularly no one, "Soon you're gonna be spouting off things like, 'make a legal right turn,' or something else crazy." Not knowing what a GPS was, I made no sense out of Mandite's comment. I left it be. Instead, my mind turned to more anxious matters as the other two followed my direction.

"Mandite?" I asked, feeling queasy from the thought of it.

"Yeah?"

"What if we don't find a portal in the end?" I asked.

"Well," Mandite said in a tone that was didn't sound concerned at all, "then we have to scour the land north to south – before Giratina comes and eats us." Although I doubted Giratina would actually eat us for his dinner, I still had a feeling that Giratina would punish us in some, painful, crude way. The only problem with that fact is that I am protected by Mew, so the possibility of the Lord of the Dead pummeling me is not as likely. But what about Aurora and Mandite?

"Have you ever wondered why this place is really whacked up?" Mandite asked, glancing around. I've never known what this area was called, but I had some answer that seemed to match this place.

"Well, there is a legend that the deities of death and time, Giratina and Dialga, got into a really big fight that could have taken place here while the Sinnoh region was young." I said, "At one point, Giratina created a really powerful attack that sent Dialga crashing into the ground, creating a great crater in the shape of that deity. Fissures split the rock from that impact, all branching out from the massive crater. Eventually, a jungle grew over, sealing that spot."

"That would explain all these rock islands," Mandite said, "they are definitely not worn down by water – you could plainly see that." I wasn't sure I could see what Mandite was seeing, but he tended to talk in his perspective.

"Do you think we would see Dialga's Canyon here?" Aurora asked. Even though the crater made by Dialga's impact was possibly mythical, many myths are stories basing from fact. Maybe we could find that canyon.

"Maybe," I answered her, glancing around the scenery again. In my mind, I was plotting out a course that will wind us through these maze of rocks. Soon, I spotted a place where we could cross to another rocky platform. Most of the time, we could jump from rock island to rock island over the cracks that separated them, but there were some that were too wide to cross by jumping. There was a wide vein of empty space where the two islands were spit that lay before us fifty yards away, one that we couldn't avoid. Luckily for us, there was a boulder just wide enough to wedge itself in the thinner opening in the ravine, creating a wobbling bridge. I stared at it, slowly approaching as our group trudged forth, wondering if it was safe enough to cross.

"That looks... Convenient," Mandite said, eying the rock. I was very sure that he could see that it was only loosely wedged in place.

"You want to cross on that?" Aurora asked, disbelieving, "It doesn't look safe, Lucario." Glancing back at her, I replied,

"How are we supposed to know if there are any other ways across this divide?" Aurora seemed to hold her tongue, and thought for a moment. Meanwhile, it was Mandite's turn to talk.

"Well, Mr. GPS, I thought you were the one who said we couldn't go that way because you knew it was a dead end." he said, "Surely, you know whether or not there are paths crossing this ravine." Mandite had gotten me trapped in a corner. Defeated, I closed my eyes and sought out my instinct, urging it to tell me answers. In response, I had a confident feeling that there was only one other path – but that was miles away.

"There is one other," I said, "but that one is miles and miles away in the wrong direction – and I am not sure if it is just as dangerous." Mandite nodded, and so did Aurora. Taking a deep breath, the little warrior said,

"I suppose we got to take our chances," We continued to walk on until we were just at the edge of the wide gap that separated us from point B from point A. In between was the boulder, the wind threatening to push it out from its delicate position. After staring at it for some time, we all glanced at each other nervously.

"So," Mandite quipped, "who wants to go first?" The question was answered by a long pause. None of us were willing to go – even Mandite with his pair of small wings. But the job has to get done some time.

"I guess I'll go first," I volunteered, and the others seemed to be relieved, but afraid as well. Mandite surveyed the rock, before nodding.

"You'll be fine," he said, "now let's get going!" I smiled nervously at the other two, and turned away to face this new challenge. It may seem like a small task, going from point A to point B, but this was the longest stretch of wobbling bridge I have ever seen.

"Be careful, Lucario," Aurora called out from behind me. Giving her one last glance over my shoulder, I stepped onto the boulder. Immediately, the shift in weight caused it to rock from side to side. If I took a running start and jumped off this bridge, the force of my feet pushing off from the rock with push it out of place, and then I would leave myself stranded from the others. Instead, I crouched low, so that I could control my balance at ease, and slowly stepped forward, careful when I shifted my weight, each slight movement rocking me back and forth along with the bridge.

It seemed to me that the end of the hazardous path was so far away, even though I was inching towards the middle. No turning back now.

I urged my feet one step at a time. Left foot. Right foot. Breathe. Left foot again. Right foot forward. Breathe. Look up. What I found extremely annoying as I slowly tiptoed across, was that my mind had to be forced into choppy thinking in order to perform these steps correctly. What was extremely nerving was the constant rocking of the precarious bridge over what seemed to be a bottomless ravine. The pads of my paws were wet from perspiration, from fear. Carefully, oh so carefully, each paw step was placed one after another, so meticulously. Even every breath must be at the exact moment.

After what seemed like forever, I daintily lifted my weight from the bridge and onto the other side, at last. Free to breathe, I took several cleansing breaths before looking back to the others. Judging by the motions and rather loud tones, I could tell they were arguing who should go next without even knowing what they were saying. I waited, patiently, as Aurora finally was submitted to go next. For the next several moments – who knew how long that last – I watched her carefully as she, too, inched across the delicate bridge, making sure that she was safe.

The first thing that caught my eye as abnormal was that the bridge was slipping lower and lower down the ravine, edging itself quite near where the inside widened out. The delicate balance between friction and gravity was slowly tipping.

"Keep moving!" I heard Mandite yell to Aurora, and she started to nervously scramble across. Suddenly, there was a loud grinding sound as the rock noticeably slipped farther down the ravine. We all stopped moving, and the bridge, just at the tipping point, wobbled to a stand still. Aurora was as stiff as a statue, and my heart had skipped several beats. Recovering quickly, I decided to offer some comfort for the frightened female.

"Aurora," I knelt down and held out my paw, "I'm here – keep coming," Poor Aurora – she was scared stiff, too afraid to move. Knowing that I couldn't move out onto the bridge to help her, I offered an arm for her to grasp when she reached far enough. With edgy hastiness, Aurora's trembling paw reached out towards mine once she came close enough. There were still some inches in between us, and knowing that Aurora needed the support, I leaned farther and my paw grasped hers firmly. In return, she squeezed it tight, as I helped to pull her in. Once her feet touched solid, stable ground, she flung her arms around me, shaking violently. She must have been really scared – I patted her shoulder gently. I was scared for her, too.

"You're all right, now," I whispered comfortingly, watching as Mandite started to make his way across.

Somehow, the rock didn't seem like it could stick to the walls much longer. Just as Mandite took his fifth step, the rock ground against the wall again, and shook violently as it was rocked from its position. Air escaped from my lungs, and Aurora's grip on paw tightened as we watched the little warrior fall. As gravity caused the boulder to tumble, Mandite sprung from the rock, and managed to grab the edge – right back where he started. It was a saving grace, and I was ever so grateful for that, knowing perfectly well what else could have happened. However, there was a problem, all three pairs of eyes glancing down the ravine – now, the trio had been separated by miles from a single divide. But, new options flooded my mind, from the desperation of thinking we would be separated.

"Mandite," I called to him, "use your wings!" I saw Mandite, brushing the dust from his cape, gaze back with expressionless yellow ovals. The little warrior began to shout back loud enough so I could hear.

"Can't!" What?

"Why?" I hollered back, "Can't you fly? You told us you could fly!" I couldn't hide the panic in my voice.

"I could soar, not fly!" Mandite replied, "There aren't any thermals to carry me across!"

"But you have wings!" Aurora cried out from behind me.

"Just because I have wings doesn't mean I can fly!" Mandite yelled, "My wings are too small and weak to support flight right now! They still have to grow!" Bitterly disappointed, I tried thinking of another option. I looked back soberly at the blue puffball, his cape waving in the light breeze. Then, a new idea struck me.

"Transport yourself over here with that cape!" I shouted, but Mandite remained where he was, backpack on top of his head. Please don't tell me...

"That's too risky!" I heard him holler back, "The cape can't transport me _that_ far!" With no more things to say, I felt my knees weaken. I was so used to having Mandite nearby, so used to watching his back, and him watching mine. Not only he could protect Aurora and I from pokeballs and practically anything else, he was a great friend. And he was a small child – how could I leave him? How could we part from him while this mission is still under way? This insecurity got the best of my voice, and had silenced me. Meanwhile, Mandite remained cool and calm – as usual.

"There's another crossing down east several miles, right?!" His voice traveling just far enough to reach my ears. I nodded, knowing he could see me.

"All right – I'll go there and catch up to you guys!" Mandite said, starting to trot off towards the east, "I'll find you guys, no worries! Don't starve yourselves, and keep moving west!" It amazed me how Mandite could easily pass this as everyday event. Watching the retreating figure, I called out,

"Take care, Mandite!"

"See you later!" I heard the distant voice answer. Closing my paw around Aurora's for my own comfort, I watched by her side as the warrior gradually disappeared from view, still calling out promises to find us soon.

I certainly hope so Mandite.

* * *

**Again, this is not the greatest chapter. Actually, I think this is my worst. Man... I need to make my writing more interesting. And I need to pick up the pace. **

**Two things to improve: one - quality, two - pace. I have two weeks to finish this or I don't accomplish my goal, and I'm getting nervous. ^^;  
**


	20. Chapter 20

The following dawn brought a new sense of uneasiness. Mandite was gone – who knew where that kid was now. And, as I woke up, I realized Aurora wasn't where she was sleeping last night. The little indentation of the shrubbery she had piled to cushion the roughness of the rock bed was all that was left. But, scanning my surrounding quickly, I knew she hasn't wandered far.

I found her sitting at the edge of a cliff, where the rock island has elevated high over the lower grounds, where we left Mandite. The trees here grew more thickly, and forms of soil were found here and there along with vegetation. Dangling her legs off the cliff, not particularly caring about the height, Aurora stared off at the pale horizon, the soft morning light highlighting her face. She didn't notice my presence at all, until I sat down next to her, not knowing what else to do. It wasn't entirely because I just wanted to be with her – that panoramic view made me think, and wonder where the third person of our party was. Aurora didn't say a word in greeting, so I just left the silence be, as the land was washed over with the sun's golden entry. As the silence drew on, the more and more aware I was to Mandite's absence. Normally, we would be walking again, but neither of us had made any movement or word to start the day's trek. I also realized that Mandite was a vital addition to the group as well – he was a key reason why Aurora and I were still together. In the recent months, sometimes Aurora and I grew upset with each other, and if Mandite wasn't there to coax apology from me, or to smooth the creases, then we may always have an awkward boundary between the two of us. What if that happened again, and then what?

"Do you think it's my fault that Mandite can't come with us right now?" Aurora was the first to speak. I blinked, finally facing her for the first time today, looking into her magenta eyes, bubbling like a creek playing with flickering flame. Was it her fault?

"No," I assured her, "Gravity acts on its own – if Mandite had gone before you, then you may have been the one left to find us." Aurora trembled a bit, her emotions delicate at the moment.

"I would be really scared," Aurora sighed, closing her eyes, "for most of my life I traveled with you – I don't remember what its like to walk by myself anymore." I remembered when the two of us first met – both of us had been wandering alone. We've been together ever since, existing as friends. To imagine becoming a solitary nomad again... Well, I guess that will come true in the near future, whenever Mandite finally goes home. By now, I am used to this thought of the aftermath, it's just I can't believe that it would happen.

"Do you think Mandite is scared, being by himself?" Aurora asked. I felt the soft fur of her tail brush lightly against mine, giving me a moment of blank thought.

"Mandite is fine, he knows how to fend for himself," I said, speaking confidently, knowing full well that he could, "he's probably delighted with the fact he doesn't have to share cookies with us for the moment." I added, in an amused tone. Aurora laughed a little bit, but it was a perfectly possible thing he would say to himself at this moment. In fact, I had a good feeling he said that some time by now.

"Lucario," Aurora began to say, "do you remember that day when you were with Michelle?" I felt my face burn with guilt and embarrassment. Why is she mentioning this?

"Yeah," I said, feeling hesitant.

"How did you meet her?" Aurora asked, merely sounding curious, "And why did she come back with you?" I was feeling a little uncomfortable now, wondering how I should answer these questions.

"I sort of bumped into her, I guess," I said, using a paw to rub the back of my neck, "and then she wanted to know who was my so-called trainer, so I showed her." Aurora nodded, thinking. I stared off to look at the sky, watching the sun float over the horizon, feeling I've answered that question fairly enough. The biggest thing nagging me right now was why would she ask those questions?

"Aurora," I asked, "why did you ask me that?" The female lucario lowered her eyes, looking extremely troubled and dismayed by some internal feeling.

"You told me that you loved someone a long time ago, right?" I suddenly remembered staring at the moon and listening to water trickle down a fountain, trying my best not to look at Aurora.

"Yes," I said, cautiously. Aurora sighed again, before continuing,

"Well, I wanted to make sure you weren't cheating on that female." Cheating sounded like a term Mandite would say. I knew that Mandite had sometimes claimed I was cheating while we were playing chess – but in that case, it meant that I was playing against the rules. I would never cheat that way, because Mandite would win either way. But in this context, I had no clue.

"What do you mean, 'cheating'?" I asked her. At that point, Aurora seemed to be extremely upset.

"It means that when someone claims to love their partner, and then turns around and says the same thing to another." Aurora stated. I frowned – what happened to Aurora to make her so sad?

"Being cheated on hurts, so don't cheat," she continued. Suddenly, I realized the reason why she was so upset. I reached out and rested my paw gently on her shoulder, feeling every shake of Aurora's body.

"Zhoke cheated on you, didn't he?" I asked her. Instead of bursting out crying like I expected her to, she just quietly spoke in a somber voice.

"I went to visit him the night before we left the city to talk to him about me leaving. When I knocked on the door where he and his trainer were staying, no one came. So, I peeked in the window." Aurora stopped, becoming silent. I didn't need her to finish the story – I could already guess that Zhoke was with another female.

"I didn't mention anything about it, though," Aurora went on, "I thought he would apologize for it, knowing that he did something wrong. He didn't say anything, though." This comment made me want to fly all the way back to Zhoke and teach him a thing or two. Aurora deserved to have a completely faithful lover, not some addled git. But, instead of ranting about that, I decided I would extend a different option.

"If Zhoke cheated on you," I said, "why don't you just leave him and find someone else?" Aurora only sighed heavily.

"But there is no one else," she replied quietly. Those words hit me hard in the chest. Here she was, saying that there was no one else for her, and yet I am sitting next to her. All this time, I was beginning to hop, just a little bit, that Aurora would begin to favor me. I guess not. I stood up abruptly, to Aurora's surprise.

"We wasted enough time here," my voice sounding rather choked, "Mandite said we have to keep moving." I turned away from her, the wounds inflicted on my heart reopening and pouring out my sorrow and vain love.

~*~

I was becoming extremely worried.

It's not because my sleeping patterns had been greatly disrupted, and not because I wasn't eating enough. It was definitely not because we were now in a thick, dark, forest that could have Bruno hiding in it, nor it was the thorn stuck in a pad on my foot. It wasn't because my heart hurts so much from heartbreak. It wasn't because I haven't been drinking much water either. It wasn't because I was ill.

It has been three weeks. And no Mandite.

"Lucario," I heard Aurora plead to me for the umpteenth time, "you have to eat." I only stared at the berry she had dropped in my paws, thinking deeply.

"You realize it has been three weeks already, don't you?" I asked her. Aurora sighed impatiently.

"Yes," she exclaimed, "but you have to eat!" I thought otherwise.

"I need to know where he is," I said, wincing from the pain in my foot as I stood up, "I want to see if he's okay." Three weeks seemed more than plenty enough time to cover the space in between us from the beginning. To my surprise, Aurora firmly grabbed my arms and pushed me down back onto the fallen log I was previously sitting on.

"Aurora," I complained, "I'm serious – I have to-"

"You are not going anywhere until you are back to normal," she said in a sharp tone, "that means you've eaten enough, drank enough, slept enough, and stopped acting like a lunatic."

"But I'm not hungry, thirsty, or tired," I argued, being perfectly honest to her.

"Lucario, you've got to snap out of it!" Aurora shook me, desperation in her voice, "I don't know what's wrong with you but you've got to get better! And doing this is not going to help!" I watched her, still agitated with the fact that Mandite was still gone.

"Aurora," I said firmly, "I'm fine, I'm all right – it's just been a really long time." Aurora sighed and sat down next to me, shaking her head.

"I know Lucario, I know," Aurora said, "I'm worried too – for you and Mandite."

"I told you I'm fine," I repeated.

"No you're not," Aurora retorted, "But I promise that if you will just stay put and recover, then we can go back and look for Mandite." For the first time since three weeks ago, I really looked at her. Her ears were pulled back, and her eyes were pleading with me. And I realized I haven't exactly taken care of myself ever since three weeks ago, unintentionally. I guess I just got fed up with the whole vanity of my love, and didn't really care too much about my appearance. I must look extremely bedraggled, and disgusting. I gave a long sigh, and all the hunger, thirst, exhaustion, and aching rushed back to me in one, great wave. What a mess I have caused for myself...

"All right," I finally agreed, "just for a day, though."

"Two days," Aurora said.

"Okay, two days," I said, wearily. I took the berry that Aurora had given me earlier and snapped it up in three bites. It was sweet, and thirst quenching. Without a word, Aurora handed me another one, and I ate that too.

"Thank you," I said gratefully. Aurora only smiled sadly.

"You should get some sleep, too." She suggested, and I nodded. So, she helped up and together we sought out a decent place for me to rest and sleep. Luckily for me and my injured foot, we found one soon enough. As I stood and watched Aurora pile up leaves to form a nest like shape, I began to feel ashamed for my behavior. What kind of friend was I being? I became more like a nuisance over the past few weeks than a leader, acting like a whiny child and a pokemon with no common sense whatsoever. That disgusted me greatly.

"I'm sorry," I said out loud to Aurora. She stopped piling leaves and looked at me over her shoulder with a questioning expression.

"For what?" she asked, sounding puzzled.

"For being a nuisance and a lunatic," I answered, my knees becoming weak from fatigue. Aurora snorted, and helped into the nest she made for me. Surprisingly, despite the wickedly shaped leaves that made it, it was very comfortable – but I guess I was so tired I could sleep in fire and say it was comfortable.

"You put yourself with too much responsibility," Aurora said, sitting down next to me, brushing a stray leaf from my ear, "you worry too much – that's you're problem."

"Hmm," I answered, too tired to think of any retort. Maybe she was right. My eyes followed her movement as she crawled over to my foot – the one that had the thorn in it. The expression on her face told me that it didn't look at all pretty.

"That's definitely infected," she grimaced, gently holding up my foot.

"Well, what are you going to do with it?" I asked. Aurora shrugged.

"I'm no expert," she said, putting my foot down slowly, "let's just hope we find Mandite soon." I smiled, knowing that Mandite would know how to deal with it. For now, it remained as a sting in my foot. Aurora had walked back to sit next to me, where she watched over me. Meanwhile, I was contemplating what to do with my feelings for her. She had proved herself that she would not go for anyone else except for Zhoke, including me. How long should I put up with this vain love? How can I get rid of it?

"How come you're not asleep yet?" Aurora's voice interrupted my thoughts, "I thought you were really tired."

"Ah... I am really tired," I grinned sheepishly, "but I guess I was worrying again." In response, she rolled her eyes, propping her chin with a paw with a smile.

"Honestly Lucario, what am I going to do with you?" she said to herself, and laughed. Deciding that I could worry about all things later, I allowed the exhaustion of three weeks take over, sleep enfolding me in gentle arms.

~*~

Just as promised, we were backtracking in the search for Mandite two days later. Everything, asides my foot, was refreshed, thanks to Aurora. It made me feel much more optimistic.

Even though we were heading in directions that went against my homing instinct, I didn't feel a pull that wrenched my soul. Instead, I felt drawn towards a different source. I don't ever remember experiencing this before, except for the time I had gotten separated from my father in the ocean while fishing. I found him soon enough, and then we caught a lot of finneons for dinner. Other than that, I can't remember any time else.

At least Cresselia had given me an answer for these strange skills – I suppose my ancestor's instinct that lead him to Ash's pikachu was guiding me to my chosen target, Mandite. And this new experience gave me a possible reason why Sir Aaron's lucario never went home again – the instinct to find a living thing overpowered the instinct that drew one towards home. I followed this new force where it took me, and I soon grew a firm trust in it's power. However, Aurora seemed to be hesitant about it.

"You have to be careful where you step, Lucario," she said, as I ran into a tree for the second time. I suppose that this instinct didn't lead me in a navigable path – it just lead me in a straight line, right through whatever was in front. However, the pull was so overwhelming, that it was hard to move from the line of direction without feeling like I was about to spill out the contents of my stomach. It's amazing how Sir Aaron's lucario was able to put up with this feeling and safely guide Ash the pokemon trainer to his pikachu without knocking himself senseless with trees. This instinct... It felt more like a curse now than a gift. But Aurora doesn't understand why I am suddenly becoming a clumsy fool – I haven't told her my relationship to Sir Aaron's lucario yet.

I decided to deal with this by only evading the obstacle at the last second before I could make contact, so I wouldn't have to feel sick for very long. If it was something I could climb over, I would climb over it. However, the biggest nuisance of all were the vines that hung down from the trees and sprawled everywhere on the forest floor. I sometimes got entangled in their webs of terror. Growling, I wriggled through a network of them, and ran forward. Avoiding several crashes with trees, I soon veered away from the direction Aurora was going.

"Lucario, where are you going?!" Aurora cried out, who had been running to catch up to me. A low hanging vine that I previously didn't see caught my shins and I fell onto my stomach painfully. Darn those vines...

"I know Mandite is in this direction," I said, groaning as I stood up, "I can feel it." Aurora raised her eyebrows, coming to a complete stop.

"That's good to know Lucario, but it looks safer over here." That made me think.

"What do you mean, 'safer'?" I asked.

"I have a bad feeling about going over there, Lucario," Aurora warned, "I think we should go this way." She indicated the direction she had been following. At that moment, there was an internal conflict within me; I wanted to go with Aurora, because I didn't want her to think I was being crazy again – and then I wanted to keep moving forward in my direction, because I knew Mandite is going to be there. The instinct urged me to move forward, propelling my feet.

"Lucario, get back here!" Aurora cried, running after me, "Don't go over there!" Up ahead, I saw only thick trees – what could be so dangerous?

Suddenly, I felt the floor drop out from under me, and the pull of gravity jerking my instinct out of control. With a feeling of general horror and stupidity, I realized I had just ran off a cliff that overlooked a great canyon. It sounds funny in a different perspective, but I was terrified as I felt my body begin free fall. Oh dear... Giratina condemn me for my stupidity.

A sudden jolt that yanked my stomach, my neck, my arms, my legs, and muzzle abruptly ended that fall. Then, my body twisted painfully as I sunk lower, suspended by some magical rope that was digging painfully into my skin all over my body. Shocked, frightened, relieved, and unsure of what happened, I tried to shift my head to look up, but then something dug painfully deep into my arm, preventing me from doing so. It wasn't before long I took a deep sniff, and in came the smell of vegetation; these magical ropes that stopped my free fall to death were the very vines I had despised earlier. I would be very grateful for them, only if that it didn't tangle me in their netting so uncomfortably and didn't bite so deeply. My head was twisted to the side and pulled upwards by the vine that hung around my jaw. The vines around my arms and legs had pulled them together so that each paw touched each other and suspended over my head, as my body was twisted halfway around at the midpoint. Even worse, as I tried to move to a position that didn't put quite as much stress on my body, the vines that trapped me cut into my skin. In fact, every tiny movement, such as breathing, would trigger the ropes to sink in a little deeper. I was beginning to smell the first drops of my blood.

"Lucario!" It was Aurora's voice, crying out to me. I could try to answer back, so she would know that I was still alive, but I would hurt myself in doing so. My eyes were watering from the intense, sharp pain from my tight position.

"Lucario!" She had to know I was alive.

"Auro-AAHHR!" I cried out in pain, knowing for sure that the vines now had itself wedged in my muscle. Droplets of dark liquid hit my nose, and the tangy smell of blood filled my senses with fear.

"Lucario," her voice called to me again, "I'm coming down there!" What? She's going to kill herself if she tried! But, of course, if I attempted to tell her to stay up there where she was safe, these vines would most likely slice to my bone. So, I helplessly dangled, the wind slowly rocking me back and forth.

It wasn't before long when I caught a glimpse of Aurora, with a vine tied around her waist, slowly lowering herself down bit by bit by holding onto the lifeline tightly, loosening a coil to add more length. Although she hung awkwardly, at least she knew what she was doing. When she had reached my level, Aurora took the coil she held in her paws and knotted it tightly with the vine that suspended her so she didn't have to keep holding it to prevent herself from falling. It was a remarkable feat on her part, stunning me. Since when has she learned to do that?

Aurora was hanging only a few feet from me, so she didn't have to swing far to reach me. Keeping a paw holding her lifeline for balance, the spike on her free paw molded over into long, metallic claws. Then, she swung over, and with careful precision, she sliced the bindings under my chin. With a relieving sensation, my head was free to move about, although it basically hung from my body, pulled down my gravity. The blood from the toes were beginning to rush down to my head, giving me a headache.

"Are you okay?" Aurora asked, scrutinizing the web that bound me for any more vines that she can lacerate without causing me to fall. Was I okay? The wounds all over my body from the vines slicing into me were throbbing, and my head pounded with the beat of my heart. Far from it.

"Does it look like it?" I gasped. Closing my eyes to seal back some of the pressure, Aurora cut through the vine that held a leg and an arm. In no time at all, those too were dangling with my head. Opening my eyes again, I got a closer look at the damage the vines - my saving grace that had backfired on me – had done. I could see a large gash of red that wound all around my arm, cutting so deep I could see some of my flesh. Little rivulets of crimson rain flowed down, punctuating my pain. The whole sight of it made me feel sick, churning my insides uncomfortably. Aurora, too, was staring at it, grimacing.

"So," I said, my voice a little raspy, "are we going to hang here until some saving comes around?"

"MEW!" Something behind me mewled, calling my attention. Aurora in front of me froze, her expression etched with awe. Apparently, someone did come.

"MEW!" it mewled again, and then, as she flew over to hover next to my head, I got a good look at my guardian for the first time. I never seen Mew before, even though she had been watching over me. And now, there she was. The delicate pink body of the Legendary floated effortlessly before me, staring at me with round, baby blue eyes.

_[Hello, Lucario,]_ a childish, female voice echoed in my head, _[you've gotten yourself into quite a predicament.]_ Mew held her tiny paws to her muzzle, making a giggling sound, her tail flicking about in pleasure. However, I didn't find anything funny.

"Could you help me and Aurora?" I pleaded, feeling the strain the pressure in my head sucking my consciousness away. Mew studied me with her large, blue eyes, not quite laughing anymore.

"Mew..." she said, glancing up at Aurora and then at me. Without another sound, she backed away from us, her body suddenly lighting up bright white. The light, in the shape of Mew, began to transform into a much larger creature. The light gave way to a magnificent, feathered pokemon, colored a soft beige with fine, gold and red streaming plumes flowing from her dignified head. In one, great flap, the pokemon climbed higher into the sky.

"PIDGEOT!" Mew cried out, flying by with her great beak snagging the vines that hung the two of us, Aurora and I. The bindings immediately snapped, and with a flip of her head, Mew pulled us onto her feathered back, safe and sound. I held on to the back, clutching some feather tufts to keep balance as Mew's wings struck the air with powerful strokes. Aurora, who had landed behind me, wrapped her arms around my waist, leaning her head against my back. This gentle touch was followed by the feeling of something warm and wet. Glancing back to look at Aurora, I saw that her beautiful eyes were closed tight, tears running along the serene line of her lids, becoming diamonds as they caught the light from the sun. The sight of her crying silently like this, remaining just as breathtaking as any other time I have seen her, touched my heart. Whether or not she was crying for me, that would be up to her for decision – I just thought it was nice that she held to me for comfort. I turned my gaze forward again, feeling the blood leak out from my wounds and seep into my blue fur. Flying high over the forest, over the land, my heart plucked a string filled with melancholy tone. It was great that I felt so free, high above the world and cares with Aurora, but where was Mandite?

"YIPEE-KI-YAY!!!!!" I nearly fell off of Mew from shock, as a low thrumming sound of song powered by wings drew into hearing range. From the corner of my eye, something green shot past us, making crazy loop-de-loops in the air before us. The green blur shot back around us one more time before slowing down to our pace, revealing a flygon, and a little blue warrior holding his backpack gleefully.

"Honestly Lucario," Mandite scolded, glancing up and down my body, "I trusted leaving you to take care of yourself and I now find you like this! The nerve..." Despite his reprimands about my scars, I was extremely pleased to see him. More than pleased – joyful. Aurora had lifted her head to smile at Mandite.

"Where have you been?" Aurora asked him, "We got so worried about you!"

"I should have been more worried about you guys," he replied, gesturing to my scars again, "See what happens when I'm not around?" We all chuckled.

"But seriously, where have you been all this time?" Aurora asked him again, and Mandite only shrugged.

"Here and there," he replied nonchalantly, "I was actually looking for you guys, until Tyyakkuvh here gave me a lift." He patted the flygon's back appreciatively, while the two of us stared at him, confused.

_"You_ were looking for _us?"_ I asked, "We were looking for you!" Mandite shook his head, closing his jade green eyes.

"I told you guys to keep moving _forward_," he said firmly, "I probably passed you guys about ten times, now that I think about it."

"But how?" I asked, not believing that he could pass us ten times without us even noticing him at all. Mandite grinned sheepishly, and glanced upwards, humming for a bit.

"I walk really fast when I eat cookies," he said, a little guiltily. As expected, he had taken advantage of our absence to eat whatever remained of the fortune cookie stash. But I didn't even glare at him – I could only roll my eyes and chuckle to myself, resisting the stinging of each scar across my body.

"Hey, did you know we're flying over Dialga's Canyon?" Mandite piped up, and immediately we looked down to see for ourselves. Below us was a deep canyon, covered by trees, that didn't resemble anything at all except for a hole in the ground.

"Well, how could you tell if you never saw Dialga in your life?" I asked, knowing perfectly well he hadn't. Mandite, about to say something back, stopped with his mouth open, closed it, and tapped the side of his face, frowning.

"Good point," he admitted, "but that looks like a head over there." Mandite seemed to point directly at the center of the canyon.

_[It sure is!]_ Mew quipped gleefully through telepathy, broadcasting it so that everyone could hear it, _[It was the biggest face-plant in all of Sinnoh history!] _Mandite didn't seem to be so surprised when Mew spoke – instead he looked very amused with that fact. Tyyakkuvh's wings thrummed a lower pitch, as he began to descend, tipping his body downward.

"I'm dropping you over there," Tyyakkuvh spoke to Mandite in his grainy tone, and Mandite nodded.

"Follow them, Mew," I said. Mew, making no comment, veered to the side with a tilt of her wings and tipped down, following Tyyakkuvh down into a sparsely covered terrain. It didn't take us long to reach ground level, where Mew slowly lowered herself by beating her powerful wings before her talons touched the ground. Tyyakkuvh slid from the air and landed on his feet. Hopping off from his back, Mandite thanked the flygon, and with a thrum of his wings, Tyyakkuvh was off. I slid off from Mew's back, and thankfully my legs could support my weight, despite its scars. In fact, my legs were merely bruised – it was just my arms that were as bad as I thought. Once Aurora had gotten off, Mew once again transformed into a figure of light, reshaping herself into the more familiar form of a starly. Cheeping a last goodbye, Mew flew off into the distance, her silhouette disappearing from view.

"Now, let's address those wounds, shall we?" Mandite said, eying my arms. Pointing to one of the slabs of rocks that were scattered across this area of forest, he began to sift through his backpack for medical equipment.

"Go on, sit on it." He said, not looking up from his rummaging. I sat down, and continued to watch him. Aurora took a seat next to me.

"You know he has an infection on his left foot," Aurora informed Mandite.

"I could tell," he said, not seeming to pay attention, "I'm dealing with that first." Finally, Mandite dragged his bag over so that it rested next to my foot.

"Now, let's take a look," he said, lifting up my foot to investigate. The sudden, strangled look on his face worried me.

"Is it bad?" I asked, and Mandite looked up at me, his face screwed.

"It's _disgusting,_" he said, looking like he was ready to spill the contents of his lunch. Instead, Mandite reached into his backpack and pulled out a thin, long, metallic needle. Holding it, he stared at the infection, thinking of how to pull out the thorn.

"Tell me – how did this happen?" he asked, still staring.

"Lucario stepped on some plant and a thorn got stuck in his foot," Aurora supplied the answer. Mandite drew in his breath, holding up his needle; looking at it made feel a little nervous, but the wounds on my arms nulled the pain in my foot, so this couldn't be that bad.

"Now I want you to face me and answer some questions," Mandite said, looking up at me while held my foot. I glanced down.

"No! Look at me," he commanded. I did, staring at his green eyes.

"Now," the little warrior said, "how do you put a giraffe in a refrigerator?"

"What's a giraffe?" I asked, "And refrigerator?" Mandite sighed.

"A refrigerator is something with a door, all right?" he explained.

"But what's a giraffe?"

"It doesn't matter," Mandite said, still looking at me, "now answer my question." I was beginning to wonder when will Mandite begin working on my foot.

"Why would you put a giraffe in a refrigerator?" I asked, still not knowing why Mandite was asking such an irrelevant question. Mandite only sighed and held up something placed in tissue paper. I received it, and examined the green and purple thorn that lay inside it. Mandite began to apply some kind of cream to my foot.

"What's this for?" I asked him, holding out the thorn. Mandite looked up, still applying the cream.

"It's the thing stuck in your foot, dummy," he said bluntly, "I took it out while you were busy asking what was a giraffe." So Mandite was distracting me while he pulled the thorn from my foot. I didn't even notice – that was clever of him. Mandite returned the bottle of cream back into his bag and pulled out some gauze – the kind that he had used when Aurora dislocated her foot. With amazing precision and deftness, Mandite whirled the roll of gauze around my foot, tore it with his hands before tying it tight knot. Gingerly, I lifted my foot to admire the treatment, as Mandite sought out something to treat my other wounds. First, Mandite examined my arms, the ones that were damaged the most, prodding them gently and wrapping cloths loosely over the deeper spots. He went back to his backpack, taking out the needle and cleaning it with a strong smelling liquid.

"Aurora," Mandite asked, "can you do me a favor?" At the moment, Aurora had been adjusting the cloths on my arms so that cleaner patches of it could soak up more blood. She looked up, holding my shoulders.

"I need you to knock him out for me," he said, casually, as if there was nothing wrong, "I don't want him to struggle, and I need his heart rate to be slow." This didn't sound good at all, and I fidgeted, becoming nervous. Aurora squeezed my arm comfortingly.

"Now tell me, Lucario," Mandite said, in a strange, pleasant voice, "how did all this happen?" He gestured to the gashes that wound like curls of smoke across my body. I blushed, thinking about the earlier incident that lead me to this predicament.

"Well..." I said, embarrassed greatly, "I... I suppose I fell off a cliff."

"You mean you ran off a cliff," Aurora muttered. I felt my face burn, as Mandite remained silent – a second before he burst out laughing, his body shaking hard.

"Wow," he said between chuckles, "you still ran of the cliff EVEN when Dhenalix warned you about it! And then Aurora probably warned you, too – what were you thinking?" Humiliated, I said nothing, my face extremely hot, and my mind feeling very dumb indeed. Mandite allowed himself to finish his last sighs and bursts of laughter, before he asked me,

"Then what happened?"

"There were some vines that hung from the cliff," I said, "they caught me, but left these scars." I gestured to my arms with a jerk of my head. Mandite stared at the reddening cloths, tapping the side of his face with a "hmm..." expression.

"Knock him out now," Mandite said, turning away from us. Aurora and I began to protest.

"It won't hurt when you're unconscious, I promise you that, Lucario." Mandite assured me, and I trusted that, but exactly how was I going to be knocked out? I opened my mouth, when, without warning, Mandite swung around, his arms in a throwing motion. Before I could react at all, I felt something hard and small smack in the middle of my forehead. That was the last thing I felt before everything went dark.

* * *

**... Mehr.... Bad.... ^^;**


	21. Chapter 21

Who knew how much time had passed when I finally awoke. All I knew it was dark, and I felt very alone.

And extremely pained. My arms, wrapped with gauze, were stiff and sore, stinging every time I moved them. The intensity of the pain seared throughout my body, and I cried out, releasing some of the pressure inside of me. But my arms, my legs, my whole entire body and soul continued to burn in acid. I gasped, waiting for the pain to subside, as pain usually does, rising and falling in pulses.

Then, there was the gentlest of graces that brushed my arms tenderly, soothing to the touch. I felt my muscles relax, and I closed my eyes. I didn't care who it was, I'm just grateful for it. But on second thought, it would be a little disturbing if it was Mandite, even though he was like a doctor.

"Lucario," it was Aurora, her voice soft beside my ear, "are you okay?" To be perfectly honest, I was dazed.

"You have quite the healer's touch," I said wryly to her, opening my eyes. Around me, it was dark, but I could see Aurora's eyes, lit up by the moon. She smiled back, perhaps a little somberly, but it still was a smile.

"It seems to me that you're the one getting into trouble now," she observed, looking over me, still rubbing the pain from my arms. I chuckled, but I knew it was perfectly true. Before, so many years ago Aurora was the one who had been the one clinging to the trouble. Now, as I lay here, gazing up at her covered in gauze, things have flipped. It was sad, in a sense, but time has to roll onwards. Aurora seemed to realize this as well, closing her eyes.

"Do you remember when you were trying to teach me how to efficiently use an aura sphere?" she asked, and I laughed.

"How can I ever forget that?" I smiled warmly, recalling the memory, "you nearly blasted me to oblivion." That day, Aurora had accidentally used too much of her aura in her aura sphere and fired it at me in a jet like form. I had managed to jump away on time before I had been hit. Aurora now was giggling, remembering that day.

"You were so mad after that," she recalled. I looked at her, confused.

"Was I?" I asked her, and she nodded, grinning.

"You were a grumpy person back then," Aurora said, laughing softly. Thinking back, remembering those times I had been so impatient with Aurora, made me admit to myself I was quite the grump.

"Do you remember the time when you started to sneeze non-stop?" She asked, teasing in her voice.

"Don't remind me," I groaned, but still had a smile planted on my face.

"Do you remember the double rainbow?" I asked her, and she nodded.

"I'll never forget," Aurora said dreamily, closing her eyes to see it again, crystal clear in her mind. I too would never forget it.

"Do you remember the swarm of beautiflys?"

"Do you remember the time you got your head stuck on a tree covered in honey?"

"That wasn't funny, Aurora – do you remember the time you started to scream because you saw a rock that looked like a mismagius?"

"Now _that's_ not funny – but do you remember the time you got stuck upside down in a tree?"

"Well, at least I wasn't crying to get down,"

"I wasn't crying!"

"Yes you were," I teased her, and Aurora snorted. We continued to share our memories, each one seemingly remarkable and so long ago. The longer our conversation drew on, the more I realized that Aurora and I had gone through so much together in the past years. Each memory as it slipped from our tongues became so precious to me. This was a majority of my life passing by, and my most enjoyable. I don't want to ever loose these memories – ever.

Finally, Aurora popped the question we had been waiting for.

"Do you remember when we first met?" She asked, her voice becoming so soft and her eyes flickered with the warmth of a fire, and reigned with the serenity of a bubbling creek under the moon. I gazed into her eyes, taking in every moment.

"I will always remember," I whispered.

"Me too," she answered. It was such a tender moment then, with the two of us together and reminiscing, the years we now cherished. And, thinking about it all, I decided to do something about my passions.

"Aurora?" I asked, my heart beating, the blood pounding in my ears. I couldn't believe that I was actually doing this. Aurora tilted her head, like she had always done.

"Yes?" I swallowed hard, trembling. This whole process was so nerving...

"There was something I really wanted to tell you for a long time," I said, buying me time to ready myself for that big statement. Aurora sat there, her eyes watching me with a soft expression.

"Yes?" she said.

"Aurora, I..." I found that the words were caught in my throat and refused to get out. As she watched me expectantly, the more recent memories came flooding in. Zhoke. The look on her face when he saw him. And, the very moment that shattered my heart into a million pieces, all of it fine dust – the very moment she told me that there would be no one else for her to be her lover, as I sat to the side. It hurt – all of those tiny blips in time ruining those many years of friendly moments. I couldn't say it – I just can't.

"I love your eyes," I finally said, still speaking the truth, but not the whole truth, "they look like they are made out of fire and water – two of the most beautiful, and wildest of natural elements. They suit you." Aurora looked stunned for a moment, her eyes wide with surprise, before she just turned away a bit, thinking. I sighed, crying on the inside. We sat in silence, alone with our own thoughts.

"What's Mandite doing?" I asked her, trying to fill it with something. Aurora made a gesture towards somewhere beyond a bunch of trees.

"He's asleep," Aurora said quietly, "I offered to watch over you." I was slightly touched by this statement.

"That's nice of you," I thanked, "are you sure you want to do this?" Aurora nodded solemnly, brushing my arms again. We fell into silence, our eyes downcast. We had been fondly recalling the best and strangest of our memories, laughing together. But time rolls on, continuously like the ocean tide where I grew up, never to wash the sand the same way again. Just like our relationship before Zhoke.

"Lucario," it was Aurora who broke the silence this time, "when this journey is done, what happens next?" How I felt then was probably the worst yet, even more terrible than the one I had felt when Aurora claimed to love no one else. I knew what would happen, and it looked extremely bleak for me.

"Well, Mandite will be gone, for one thing," I started, "he will go back to his home to his uncle. You and I will probably go back to find Zhoke, so you two can be together and happy – am I correct?"

"Yes," Aurora answered. Just as I feared – I left the ending unfinished. Aurora seemed to notice this.

"And then what?' she asked. I drew in a long breath, ready to say what came next without flinching, tearing, crying, or dying.

"And then I would leave you guys to wander around just like the way you had found me nine years ago." Not quite the same – instead of thinking about no one but myself like before, I would be missing the one love of my life, until I find another.

"But what about that female you loved a long time ago?" Aurora asked, to my great dismay, "what about her?" I sighed sadly.

"I already considered that," I answered somberly. Aurora seemed to become a little upset with my answer.

"But don't you love her? Wouldn't you want to be with her?" she demanded for an answer. Perhaps a little too forcefully for my taste.

"I do love her, and I would trade all that I had to be with her – I would die for her sake!" I cried out forlornly, "But she never loved me! She fell for someone else a long time ago, so even if I tried to go back, she would only say the only male for her was him." I found myself breathing deeply as I said this, trying not to stumble over my words.

"We grew up together, knowing each other for years," I said, becoming very quiet, shaking, "I knew her best, and she knew me like the back of her paw – and yet she fell for a stranger." I gasped. Aurora was staring at me with her eyes shining from moisture. I drew in my breath for the final sentence.

"And nothing has been the same since." I leaned back, closing my eyes to keep myself from crying. I think Aurora got the point, but I only hoped that she didn't know I was talking about her.

To my surprise, I felt two arms wrap around my waist, and hold me tight. Aurora was crying, sobbing into my fur, making it damp, holding me.

"Really, Lucario?" she choked, her voice muffled by my fur, "Did she really leave you?" Unable to use my arms to pat her on the back, I had no form to give comfort, except for my tail, which entwined with hers.

"Honest," I said firmly, and Aurora broke into tears again. It's funny, how she was crying for me, never knowing that she was the one who had done that. But I didn't say a word about it – I'm not here to frame her for anything. So I let her cry, holding me as I sat, staring at the moon and the surrounding stars, the night sky reminding me of the time I told her the story of Palkia, and how he made space. We had been so young and carefree, then. Together, sitting under the midnight sky, under the glow of moonlight and star shine, the two of us mourned for my losses.

"Lucario?" Aurora called my name weakly, after she had calmed down a bit. I glanced at her, blinking.

"Yes, Aurora?"

"When all of this is over, and we go our separate ways," Aurora began to ask, leaning her head against my neck, "do you think you could visit me?" I only wish. Since Zhoke and his trainer traveled from region to region for pokemon battles, the chances of seeing her again is slim to none.

"You and Zhoke would be traveling a lot with his trainer," I said, "so we would always be in different places, sometimes in different regions."

"So," Aurora asked, her voice quavering, "we won't ever see each other again after this is over?" I glanced down at her, her eyes gazing back, not wanting to believe what I would say next.

"I guess so," I said. Aurora stared at me, and then pressed her muzzle into my fur, whimpering. And knowing that it would cause me great pain to do so, but wanting Aurora to know that I cared, I took my injured arms and wrapped them around her.

"Will you remember me, fifty years from now?" I heard Aurora's timid voice ask, hopefully. I smiled sadly, rubbing her shoulder, not minding the pain that came with it.

"Yes," I replied, "and for as long as I shall live."

* * *

**The shortest I've written in a while... I was about to tack it on to the previous chapter, but it seemed too much. So, this remains as a little short scene - that I kinda sucked at. Mehr.... It's hard to write in a noisy room full of kids too.** ^^;


	22. Chapter 22

Aurora had cried herself to sleep, her sobs smoothing into soft breathing. I didn't bother to move her, being incapable of doing so, and not wanting to wake her up. I fell asleep too, after much thought and contemplation about what was to come in the future. And that's how I found ourselves when we awoke in the morning.

"Good morning," I opened my eyes to an unfamiliar voice. It sounded like a female, and it was a female, confirming that when I looked over to the speaker. A leafeon was sitting peacefully some distance from us, her tail swishing from side to side. She watched me patiently with earth-colored eyes, warm and soft, contrasting with her growth. I felt myself start to blush, realizing this leafeon had found me and Aurora at a rather awkward moment. I glanced down at Aurora, who was sleeping peacefully, her head on my chest, with arms wrapped around me. The rest of her body was laying to the side of me, so that her spike didn't coincide with my body. Reluctantly, I nudged her awake.

"Aurora," I whispered, "it's time to wake up."

"What is it?" she mumbled sleepily, "What happened to Mandite?" Mandite was usually the one who was kicking our heads and yelling at us to go get up and at 'em. But, looking around, I didn't see Mandite at all. Where is he?

"Are you two hungry?" Both of us turned to look at the leafeon, who had stood up on all four of its brown, delicate paws. Wanting to be polite, I said,

"Only a little bit," The leafeon nodded, and with a gesture for us to come and follow her, she bounded away into the undergrowth. Unsure what to do, I remained sitting. Now fully awake, Aurora sat up as well, pulling away from me. Our eyes met, both of us not knowing what to do. Should we follow this stranger?

"Come along!" we heard her voice in the distance. And so, with a little difficulty, the two of us stood up and followed the leafeon through the sparsely scattered forest. Making out her pale body winding through the shrubbery on the ground, we continued to follow her some ways, across a tiny brook, happily babbling as we passed over it. The sun shone brightly in the sky, and the wind was cool, bristling with the autumn leaves, tumbling through the air. It was comfortable – the temperature was not too hot, nor too cold; it was mild, and finely tuned to my liking. It gave me the nostalgic feeling of home, where the weather there was just the same, kept moderate with the sea breeze. I noted with satisfaction that the leafeon had indeed chosen a nice place to live.

The lithe pokemon came upon a type of burrow built into one of the few hills in the surrounding area. Upon it, ferns and clovers grew lusciously, their food powered by a ray of light that touched upon them with a gentle finger of warmth. It wasn't a small hill – the home spanned ten yards in radius, with various openings along the sides serving as a little porthole to view the world. It was a lovely hole in the ground, not muddy filled with who-knows-what, nor sandy, where dust continuously pours down from the ceiling – it was a tidy burrow, symboling comfort at a glance.

As much as I liked it, though, I was too tall to fit in through the opening. So, Aurora and I waited outside, admiring the natural spectacle when the leafeon came out side holding a broad-shaped by the two tips. In the little hammock the position made were several berries and herbs, smelling as though they were washed by a spring rain. She set it down upon a flat-surfaced rock that lay nearby, and sat back to watch us, grooming herself with her soft pink tongue, rubbing a earth-colored paw across her face.

As I took a rather large, blue berry – an oran berry – I began to ponder some things. Where was Mandite? Who was this kind and generous leafeon? And why was she helping us, strangers to her?

The first question was answered by Mandite himself, who emerged from the burrow, decked in his armor. He seemed to be smirking beneath his mask as he approached us.

"So, you guys are finally up I see," he commented, "How are those arms treating you, Lucario?" I swallowed the remains of my oran berry, its wonderful richness spreading from my taste buds throughout my whole body. I suddenly felt much better, the stiffness in my arms slowly loosening tension.

"Much better," I said, and Mandite nodded, picking up an oran berry to examine.

"These are very much like the maxim tomatoes you find on Popstar." Mandite muttered to himself, "Yes – the tissues are the same, and so are the vitamin and mineral content." Not particularly caring, I helped myself to a more, foreign type of berry, bulbous with a pale blue sheen, sprouting strange purple and yellow growths. Taking a bite, the texture was crisp, as that of an apple that been sitting in the snow for some time. It's as dry as a fortune cookie, with a curious blend of a tangy sour flavor enduring throughout each bite, and ending with a bitter tone by the time I swallowed it. Interesting, but not precisely my favorite. I was never so fond of dry berries.

As we continued to eat, chewing a particularly satisfying pecha berry, I decided I would inquire the identity of this leafeon.

"Who are you?" I asked her, after swallowing my share of pecha berry sweetness. The leafeon looked up serenely, her soft brown eyes gazing calmly at me.

"My name is Lily," she answered. Lily... Was she -?

"I thought you would pass this way some time soon," I heard a deep, raspy voice greet me from behind. I whipped around, recognizing the voice belonging to an absol, smiling a toothed-half smile, padding his way towards me, the wind and red leaves brushing through his long, white fur. Lily the leafeon stood up, and bounded over in fluid leaps upon her tiny paws to Dhenalix. She greeted her mate by affectionately rubbing the scythe-less side of his face with hers, giving him a gentle rasp of her tongue against his cheek. In return, Dhenalix nuzzled the top of Lily's head, making some sort of chuckling sound. This passionate greeting made me smile – in a sad way.

"Hello again, Lucario," the absol finally said, his crimson eyes shining. Lily had his side to leap to the top of their burrow, plucking off several growths of ferns before dashing inside. I watched her leave, forgetting to say hello back, pondering such behavior. Dhenalix, noticing this interest, paid no mind to my discourtesy, but instead explained,

"She is adding materials to the nest," I nodded, knowing they had an egg to take care of. The absol sat on his haunches in between Mandite and I, joining us for breakfast. Even though Aurora and I had eaten our fill – I wasn't quite so sure about Mandite, though – there was still plenty of berries to spare the travel-worn pokemon. So, I patiently waited for Dhenalix to speak, watching him eat quietly.

After he had downed his second, the absol was ready to engage in conversation.

"So," he said, settling back casually, "what happened while I was away?" He probably seen the bandages on my arms, triggering the question. I blushed slightly, recalling the reason why I had these bandages in the first place; what was Dhenalix going to say when he hears about that? I really didn't want to say it, but who was I to leave his question hanging? So I did tell him a brief summary of our travels through the Scarred Lands; the nightmare, the encounter with Cresselia and Darkrai, the separation, the search, the rescue by Mew, the reunion, everything up until now. Except for all the talking between Aurora and I – that was something I would discuss freely. Dhenalix, who had been quietly listening, occasionally nodding or smiling while he did so. When I finally finished, Dhenalix sat, thinking for a moment before he spoke.

"That's quite an eventful month you've experienced there," he acknowledged, pawing the ground, "all those Legendaries – and the fact you are indeed related to Sir Aaron's lucario." During the time I was telling that part of my narrative, Aurora seemed extremely shocked, as Dhenalix remained studiously observant. It made me wonder what the two would think of me now. Dignified? Or a lame descendant?

"You knew?" Mandite asked, also noticing that the absol didn't seem quite as surprised as he expected him to be. The absol shrugged.

"Not exactly," he said, "I thought it was a rumor when I overheard Giratina speaking to Darkrai talking about that. It's one of the only things Mew has kept 'hush-hushed' - but Mewtwo found out sooner enough. Then he told everyone." All the things Dhenalix knew about Legendaries made me wonder how did he know such things. I knew he was already a messenger for Giratina, but either than that, I knew nothing else.

"Dhenalix," I asked, "how do you know these things?" The absol cocked his head to one side.

"Giratina has sent me on so many errands I believe I have seen and talked to all of the Legendaries, and in turn I listen to what they say." he answered slowly, "So there was one point when everyone started to talk about Sir Aaron's lucario's descendant. I didn't believe them exactly – until now." He smiled at me, but it quickly disappeared as Lily was calling to him from inside the burrow.

"Dhenalix," she cried, "did you move the egg again?!" The absol leaped to his feet in panic.

"No," he called back to his distressed mate, "it must have rolled around again!" And stepping back from the rock a few paces, he muttered,

"Pardon me," and jumped clean over us and galloped into the the burrow. We watched, wondering what was going on. Mandite slipped another berry underneath his mask, blinking as we heard the two couple's voices, and an occasional glimpsed them through the portholes along the side. The only thing that startled me after some time was when Aurora abruptly stood up, ran over to the entrance, and scooped up something in her arms. When she turned around and called out Lily's and Dhenalix' names, I could see the white egg, with a creamy brown swirl running from the bottom and curling at the middle, smooth as the surface of a still lake. Lily was the first to dash out from the burrow, and, taking one glance at the egg breathed her thanks. Aurora knelt and slowly placed the egg in front of its mother with a soft and gentle expression on her face. Being a female almost of age, I could guess that she was beginning to have a feeling for children – it was a step before she was ready to raise her own. I blinked, watching her. I know time flies, but that fast? I must be careful with my time – Aurora could be gone before I know it. It felt a little awkward at that point to think that Aurora soon could be a mother herself – I wonder what it would be like if I actually did see her sometime in the future, introducing her little riolu to me?

As Lily carefully rolled the egg back to its nest, nudging it with her muzzle, Dhenalix exited the burrow, walking over to sit next to me again. He looked a little overwhelmed, but he was grinning at the same time.

"That little one is going to grow up to be like me, I expect," he said, chuckling, "he's already rolling about in the world."

"It's a he?" Aurora asked, curious. Dhenalix looked a little surprised with himself, and shook his head, laughing.

"We hope it is," he admitted, "that would be nice – we already picked out a boy name for him." Aurora raised her eyebrows, and so did I – not because of the name. Mandite just calmly looked at the speaker.

"Well, I have to say there is some disagreement," Dhenalix said, pawing the ground, "Lily wants – if it is a he – to name him Dhenaghi, but I really like Niobi."

"They both sound good to me," Mandite said finally, after remaining silent all this time. Dhenallix made a shrugging movement, pawing the ground again, and taking the seeds from the berries to plant in the three troughs his claws made. With a compassionate motion, he covered them with earth.

"They will grow fast, with the nurture of the sun and rain – and love," he added, looking up at us with bright, crimson eyes, "Lily loves the little shoots of new growth." For a moment, I wasn't sure if he was talking about children or the berries, but in a way, it could apply to both. It surely applied to my childhood – that went by extremely fast. For a few moments, we sat thinking, pondering our own, individual thoughts.

"So," Dhenalix said, breaking the silence, "where are you three heading to now?" Mandite decided it was his turn to speak.

"To the beach!" he said happily. I frowned – although I knew we were going to end up at the place of my childhood wanderings, the coast, I never thought we would be there so quickly. It was the last stop, and we were very close to it. In fact, I could recognize the smells of this forest from the last time I had passed through here; not exactly in this direction, but through the forest. According to my memory, the forest will open up into a grassy field, which would then be replaced by dunes of white sand, with the occasional dune grass perched atop crests.

Aurora and Dhenalix alike seemed to realize that the journey was beginning to close as well. I glanced at my female companion and friend, who suddenly looked so forlorn and broken. She was thinking of the aftermath, as well as I.

"Do you think there is a portal over there somewhere, or do we have to keep searching?" Mandite asked the absol. Surely he must know something about it, due to the fact he has been around Giratina, the creator of the doorways to worlds. Dhenalix thought for a moment, closing his eyes to concentrate.

"I believe so," he said, opening his eyes again, "Yes, there is one, definitely. It's in a rather remote area, but I'm am confident you will be able to reach it." He gave us an encouraging smile, the optimistic soul lifting our spirits. The four of us rose to our feet, signaling the start of a good bye. Looking up at me, flashing a grin, he said,

"Take care, Lucario," Dhenalix, "perhaps we may meet somewhere again in the near future?" I nodded, grateful that the only news Dhenalix brought was the fact there was indeed a portal at our final destination, and not some other, mysterious and ominous herald of death.

"I suppose," I answered back, "Good luck with your kid," The three of us began to walk away from the little oasis, Dhenalix giving us a bow as we headed our way out.

"May your feet travel lightly, your souls whole-heartedly, your mind clearly," Dhenalix called, before turning to go back inside his burrow, "and then your road would be much more pleasurable to travel by." I wasn't quite sure what he meant, but it sounded very poetic and inspiring. With a final wave of his scythed head, he had crept into the dark of the his burrow, still lit by the single ray of sunshine. Before us, the landscape will become more and more familiar to me, until I have reached the shores where I have been born.

But we can't go to the exact shores I grew upon – that would be my parents' territory, and even though I'm their child, they would defend it fiercely. Unless I had a chosen female to be my mate; however, I know that is certainly not the case. So, easily dropping my homing instinct, I switched towards a different direction to make my way towards the coast, and not towards my parents' territory.

As expected, the trees started to thin out and grass grew in their place. Tramping along the final grassland before the sea, the three of us walked side by side. Aurora, on my left side, trotting her feet high to avoid picking up burrs, was watching me for some time. I finally glanced back at her, and judging by the look on her face, I could tell she wanted me to answer a question she had burning in her mind.

"What is it, Aurora?" I asked her, smiling.

"Are we going to see your parents?" she asked. I realized that I hadn't told her the traditions between lucario parents and child. If there was one thing I didn't teach her all these years, it was probably that. Now was the time to fill in that gap.

"No," I said, shaking my head, much to Aurora's confusion, "according to code and tradition, when riolus evolve into lucarios, then they must leave their parents to fend for themselves. They will never return to the place where they were raised unless they come back with... With..." I felt too embarrassed to say "with a chosen mate", for Aurora, even though I told her we weren't going to see them, may get the wrong idea. I certainly didn't want her to think that I was taking her to the western coast for that reason. But, Aurora demanded some kind of answer, staring at me with her perpetually flowing and flickering gaze.

"Sacrifice," Mandite filled in a word, speaking in a hissing tone that sent chills up my spine. It didn't help that his gaze seemed to be staring through me as his yellow eyes were fixed upon mine behind his mask. I knew he was joking, but he acted that little moment out very well.

"... Really?" Aurora asked, timidly. I realized, shaking the fear from me, that she also had been bewitched. Mandite started to chuckle, his eyes becoming pink.

"No," he said, still laughing to himself, "did you really believe me?" Aurora lost her scared expression and glared at Mandite, who was still laughing.

"That's not funny, Mandite," she scolded. The warrior stopped shortly, and peered up at her innocently, remaining silent.

"You're right, Aurora," he said sincerely. But Aurora seemed to know what was coming next, in spite of this.

"Mandite, don't -"

"It was HILARIOUS!" Mandite squealed, and pointed, "I wish you saw the look on your _face!_" Aurora rolled her eyes, as Mandite continued to cackle and snicker, the horrified look on Aurora's face still envisioned in his mind. I sighed, glancing up at the sky. Just to think that maybe in a week, or maybe in just a few days, that this was all going to be taken away by time. Then it would be just Aurora and I, until I leave her with Zhoke. Then it would be just me and my shadow again, with the occasional visit to Dhenalix. That's at least one thing that I would have left in my empty world – that optimism is starting to catch up on me.

"Lucario," Aurora asking for my attention, noticing that my mind had wandered afar, "are you okay?" I blinked and looked down at her, smiling a little bit.

"Sure," I said, and then admitting, "but the burrs are really bothering me, now." I motioned to the many, spiky growths that clung to the black, short, fur on my legs, and strewn through my tail.

_"You_ think you had it rough?" I heard Mandite's voice say, grumpily. I looked further down towards the ground to see him stare glumly back, his cape and gloves covered by the burrs. Aurora, too, glanced down at the little warrior and then her eyes brightened, as she snickered. Mandite shot her a glare.

"It's not funny!" he cried indignantly, waving his burr-brandished gloves.

"Oh, that's right," Aurora said, smirking. Mandite's eyes widened with recognition.

"It's hilarious!" Aurora said happily, and started to laugh and point at him.

"Just shut up!" He said, pretending to seem like he was about to cry, "I'm a lot closer to the ground than you guys!" I chuckled, amused by the whole little scene playing before me, as the two poked fun at each other. Yes, I thought, it would be very sad watching the two go away – but I am glad I have gotten to know the two well. I can't mope forever, so I might as well start trying to be cheerful about the final length of this journey.

"Ya know, Lucario," Mandite said, huffing as he picked his way through the prickly blades, "I don't think going this way was such a great idea – there better be some place to sleep AWAY from these burrs." I laughed as Mandite made some sort of goofy face, pulling some of the burrs from his gloves. But he has a point - these were beginning to become rather itchy.

"Sand won't be that far away," I said confidently, "we'll reach there by nightfall." There was a uniform sigh of relief from the other two, and I snorted.

"What's the matter?" I asked them, teasingly, despite my own discomforts with the nagging plant seeds. Mandite glared at me, but that was it.

~*~

"Lucario?" Aurora sat down next to me as I was picking some burrs from my tail, "what's that crashing sound?" We had finally made it to a place where the soil became sand, pilling into the crests of dunes, so soft and fine. The sky overhead was dark, with twinkling stars pinned and splayed across it. The moon was waning, but still glowed ever so brightly, casting silvery light all over the sloping landscape. The three of us sat around a small campfire we managed to light, leaning against one of the few, smooth boulders that poked out from its sandy blanket. It was a beautiful night.

"It's the ocean," I said, tilting my head to the side to listen to the calming rhythm. Closing her eyes, Aurora leaned her head back against the boulder, listening with a serene smile.

"I like its lullaby," Aurora said, sighing. I nodded, taking in the sight of her in such a carefree state, before returning my attention to my tail. Mandite was having suffering from the same petty chore, except the warrior had a longer way to go. His mask was off, the fire casting light onto his troubled face as he plucked burrs from his cape.

"How are you doing, Mandite?" Aurora asked casually, already done with removals. Mandite answered with a frustrated, "Hmm!" but said nothing. Chuckling, I scraped off the last bits of seeds from my blue fur before I allowed myself to rest against the stone, smoothed by the corrosive sand. But the sand here, despite all the weathering it had done, was fine and absent of shards of pokemon shells, making it delightful to dig my feet into. It was nice to feel the sand, listen to the ocean's heartbeat, and smell the sea air again, making me feel like I was a riolu again. Memories of childhood, so simple and fragile, for a breath of time shatters the delicate glass so easily. But here I am, back again, and this time I have grown physically and mentally. Mandite began to hum to himself, as he picked his way through the tedious chore of removing burs. Usually his humming were tuneless, much less on harmonizing pitch, but tonight it sounded just right with the crashing of the waves on the beach, not so far away. It sounded a little like a desert spirit, like a singular flygon spiriting in the yonder, alone and free. It sounded like there was hope, a prayer in the time of darkness. For once, I wanted Mandite to sing.

"What's that song?" I asked him. Mandite glanced up from his cape, brushing away a pile of burrs he had collected.

"It's a lullaby Uncle Tally used to sing to me," he said in a longing way, "he only sang it to me when I woke up from nightmares as a baby... He said that it was inspired by an old fable told by maidens to their children as they cried before going to bed."

"Your uncle can sing?" Aurora asked him, joining the conversation. Mandite exhaled sharply, folding his stubby arms to the best of his ability.

"He is a _famous_ singer," he said firmly, "he wrote the entire song and music to go along with it." With this fact, I was rather impressed, even though I haven't heard any of the lyrics – but the tune sounded good to me.

"I can't sing it for you guys if that's what you want," he said, in a frank manner, "but I can hum it." Mandite suddenly lifted his spiked cape and pulled something from it, a blue rectangular object seeming to materialize from the cloth. Upon a second glance, I could see it was a small, blue book, many of its pages ruffled from wear and tear. Mandite flipped through it, finally stopping at a page.

"Here are the lyrics," he said, handing the open book towards me.

I took the book, holding the delicate object with both paws. Aurora shifted towards me so she could read too.

_**Hush now,**_

_**Close your eyes now,**_

_**the sun has fallen,**_

_**You and I will meet in the morn',**_

_**hush.**_

_**Hush now,**_

_**Don't cry now,**_

_**You will meet me in the morn',**_

_**But for now,**_

_**hush,**_

_**Sleep now,**_

_**And dream of the day that came before,**_

_**night is calling,**_

_**Shadows falling,**_

_**Let your dreams take wing,**_

_**Close your eyes now,**_

_**you're here in my arms,**_

_**Just sleeping.**_

_**Into the Night,**_

_**For now we part,**_

_**You must rest for a new day,**_

_**Into the Night,**_

_**Dream under the stars,**_

_**Let yourself fly across the moon**_

_**Into the Night,**_

_**You must wait for the light,**_

_**Only then we meet again,**_

_**Into the Night,**_

_**When the sun peaks the horizon,**_

_**We will be together,**_

_**But now I part you and walk**_

_**Into the Night.**_

_**Hush little one,**_

_**Lay down your sweet and weary head,**_

_**Hush now,**_

_**Why do you cry?**_

_**What are these tear tracks for?**_

_**Hush now,**_

_**Soon you will see,**_

_**All of your fears will fade away,**_

_**You're safe here in my arms,**_

_**just sleeping.**_

_**Hush now,**_

_**Light fades,**_

_**Into the world of the Night,**_

_**Through shadows falling,**_

_**I bid you farewell,**_

_**Until the morning light,**_

_**Then you and I will meet again.**_

_**Hush now,**_

_**Please don't cry,**_

_**Hush.**_

_**Into the Night,**_

_**For now we part,**_

_**You must rest for a new day,**_

_**Into the Night,**_

_**Dream under the stars,**_

_**Let yourself fly across the moon**_

_**Into the Night,**_

_**You must wait for the light,**_

_**Only then we meet again,**_

_**Into the Night,**_

_**When the sun peaks the horizon,**_

_**We will be together,**_

_**But now I part you and walk**_

_**Into the Night.**_

_**And through the Night,**_

_**As you lay here dreaming,**_

_**Safe in my arms,**_

_**You're only sleeping,**_

_**Here I await for you,**_

_**Through shadows falling,**_

_**We walk into the darkness,**_

_**And wait for the sun rising,**_

_**Then we meet again,**_

_**Only then,**_

_**But as for now,**_

_**You and I are fractioned,**_

_**and drifting**_

_**Into the Night.**_

As the two of us read, our mouths forming each word, Mandite hummed the tune to his little lullaby. The words comforted me greatly, making me feel safe, but yet feel rather somber. Even though I could tell that this lullaby was meant for a mother and child, where the mother tells the child the parting was only for the night. But I felt that this little song could translate into many more meanings than one. We asked Mandite to hum the tune again, and the two of us, Aurora and me, whispered the words once more.

By the time we decided we had enough of chanting the lullaby for tonight, Mandite had finished his little burr picking and used his cleaned cape to cover his small body, his glowing yellow eyes peering from the makeshift den. He held the little book in front of him, flipping through the many words of notes he had taken over the years. Aurora, feeling content and drowsy, closed her eyes to sleep. But I, turning over the many stones of experience, knowledge, and memories, I gazed up at the stars, untouched and as pure as they were thousands of years ago, listening to the ocean crash upon a distant shore. Along with Mandite's stray fragments of humming, the sounds and sight of this serene area allowed my mind to ease. It was nice that I had two great friends to be with, instead of just me and myself alone on the sand.

And on this tranquil, calming night, I have come to share the last few moments with my friends, before the sea of Time comes and takes the tide away.

* * *

**Mehr... Is it just me or does this chapter stink? -_- **

**Well, I want to give the thanks to all my readers, expecially the ones who support me through reviews - I could never thank you guys for the encouragement. Thanks for reading, to all of you! ^^  
**


	23. Chapter 23

Morning wasn't showing any propitious sign of the weather I had hoped for. Knowing that this was the last place before our first goodbye with the departure of Mandite, I wanted this day to be one of the best so we could all enjoy it. I hoped for a clear blue sky that seemed to melt into the ocean at the horizon point, the sea a dazzling sheet of sapphires and aquamarines. I have seen days like those, and now I really wanted to just go back in time, pluck out one of those days and replace with this one.

I wanted Aurora to see the beauty of where I grew up – she did too. But, as I raised my head to see dark clouds tumbling overhead, I guess she will have to wait for another day. Before I fell asleep, Mandite said that he wanted to stay for a day at the coast once we got closer, despite our urgency to find the portal quickly. Apparently, the weather didn't change his mind at all.

"Have you ever witnessed the pure-awesome-ness of a storming sea?" Mandite asked me, delirious, "All the foam and momentum?" I was rather appalled by his eagerness to see a depressing sight. Even more, I couldn't believe that he didn't want to find a place to shelter from the oncoming downpour until he has properly eaten his breakfast – actually, I could believe that.

"Mandite," I pleaded anxiously, "look around you – it's dark, dreary, and about to rain. We should go find some kind of shelter before we get soaked." Mandite, with stern jade colored eyes, glared at me so sharply that I felt my next retort vaporize from the intensity. The warrior returned to the luxury of eating the round, wheat-product he called a bagel. He took his time, as Aurora roused herself and glanced around at the darkening sky. I couldn't tell how she felt about the situation, but I certainly felt the guilt of disappointing another. I bit my tongue, not trying to make eye contact; so, I merely watched Mandite eat his bagel to the last crumb. When he finished it, I got up to leave.

"And where are you going?" he asked.

"Are you finished with breakfast?" But Mandite had pulled out another bagel to eat at a slow, painstaking rate. I suppose not.

"Lucario," he said, swallowing, "I could perfectly see that the rain is not going to hit for another hour to an hour and fifteen minutes and thirty three seconds." I have no idea where he got all the numbers from, and I doubt he was that precise with unpredictable elements such as the weather. But his eyes, as I have said before, we extremely keen. Who knows – maybe he can tell when rain will fall.

But aside that matter, I was still anxious over the fact we had done nothing to find shelter. Mandite, savoring his breakfast, was taking too long. The nearest cave, overhang, or something could be miles away, and the warrior acted as if our shelter was just a casual walk away. He seemed to see the concern in my eyes.

"Relax, dude," he said, frowning disapprovingly, "if you are that desperate to do something, then go fetch some driftwood and pile them up on the beach. I'll come _after_ I finish my breakfast." He closed his eyes and bit into his bagel once again. Well, I suppose I have no other choice other than watching him eat – which is something I would rather not do.

Aurora insisted that she wanted to help me find pieces of driftwood. So, together, we walked over the sandy crests of dunes. Just as I predicted, we weren't too far from the sea – it wasn't long when we came upon a long stretch of sandy coastline, being pounded by the surf. Standing on the top of a dune, I allowed Aurora to look around from a panoramic view, watching her face for her first reaction. It astonished me when I saw the look of awe playing her eyes, and the wide smile.

"I've never seen so much water in my life!" she cried out in some sort of amazed way. However, I found this rather contradicting.

"I thought you didn't like to swim," I said. Aurora's face seemed to turn a little red from embarrassment.

"Well," she said, her paws fidgeting, "I still think its pretty..." The ocean was a stormy green, highlighted by white froth and foam. Waves were churning, but not so tremendously high as they have been in previous storms I have seen. But, I found the scene, despite the contrasting colors, rather depressing. I stared glumly at the water.

"If it was sunny, then this would look much nicer," I said, feeling that I had let down Aurora. At that moment, the female lucario gave me a questioning look.

"What are you talking about?" she said, indignantly, "This is great!" And then she ran down the dune, laughing and kicking up the fine sand about her feet, her arms spread like wings in flight. I was puzzled – what was she seeing that made this place so wonderful? Maybe it was because she has never seen any place like this one, and her curious nature was just itching to look around. So I let her, keeping her in my view at all times as she ran along the shoreline, skipping at the waters edge. At the same time, I scrounged about looking for driftwood. Luckily, there was plenty – I suppose these pieces were once fallen trees from a neighboring region, bashed into long splinters, or mulch by the relentless surf. Mandite had not specified how large he wanted the driftwood to be, so I piled all the driftwood I could find into one central heap some ways off from the shore. Every once in a while, I glanced up at the sky, expecting it to pour at any moment. What was taking that kid so long?

Eventually, Aurora began to help me as well after she had her fun.

"The water is salty, Lucario," Aurora exclaimed, "how are we supposed to drink?" I smiled – of course, Aurora has never encountered salt water before. And, with that noted, she does not know that we could extract the salt from it.

"There is a certain way how to take the salt from the water," I told her, tossing a last piece of the hardened wood into the pile, clattering as it tumbled towards the bottom. Seeing no other piece along the shore, nor I could see anything else to do, I sat down next to the driftwood, staring out at sea. It was so vast, and the sound of it combined with the sight made you think and reflect. I wonder what we would be doing if this day had turned out clear and beautiful. I wonder what we would be doing in the days following this one. Where was the portal, anyways?

I heard Aurora sit down beside me.

"What are you thinking now?" she asked. I blinked, turning to look at her.

"You always seem to be thinking deeply, ever since I met you," she said, "so, what are you thinking now?" So, she finally decided to bring that up after all these years. Thinking was a natural thing for me, and delving into subjects with a highly inquisitive manner was second nature to me. Sometimes, I hardly noticed that I had dazed off while I thought – I wonder how many times she has seen me do that.

"I'm just thinking," I said simply. Aurora laughed, poking me in the shoulder.

"I know you're thinking," she said, "but what exactly are you thinking about?" I smiled, but perhaps a little forcefully. I wasn't thinking of the happiest thoughts.

"Oh," I said, raising my head to stare out at sea again, "it's just some things, like what we might be doing tomorrow, and the day after that."

"Do you ever think of your love?" she asked.

"That too," I said, smiling, acting as if it didn't bother me. I suppose it looked like it too, because Aurora didn't seem to realize that I was bothered. She only sat, asking no further questions, just staring out at sea like I was.

"HEY YOU GUYZZ!" I heard a familiar voice cry out to the two of us. I glanced over my shoulder to see Mandite hustling down a dune, carrying his backpack on his head. And for some reason, the bag seemed to be fuller than when I last saw it.

"Sorry I am late," he said, approaching comfortable talking range, "I finished my breakfast and then I looked around for something else to eat, because – you know – I was still hungry." Aurora let out a sigh and I rolled my eyes.

"And then?" I asked. Mandite, now right beside us, placed his backpack down from his head, and his childish face beaming and wings fluttering with delight.

"And then I found this HUGE berry patch," he pleasurably announced, "and I brought lots and lots of them back." As Mandite celebrated his little victory, thunder rumbled in the distance. I glanced upward.

"Mandite," I said, urgently, "we have to get shelter before it rains." But of course Mandite wasn't deterred by this fact. Without the least bit of concern, he skipped over to the pile of driftwood, and began to toss pieces to the side. In this strange organization, Mandite finally ended up with four, long and thick pieces of driftwood. Carrying all of them on his head, he waddled about, sticking each deep into the sand in a rectangular formation. Aurora and I merely stepped aside to watch the little warrior continue his operation.

"Cape please," he said, "it's in my backpack." Aurora unzipped the backpack and found Mandite's cape. She tossed the cloth to him.

"Thank you," he approved with a nod. Then, standing back a bit, he said,

"Be amazed with my skills of pure awesome-ness," I snorted, shaking my head. Mandite, standing with the cape, took a deep breath. A second later, without warning, he threw the cape so that it stretched wide over the four posts. The warrior lunged forth, and with extreme speed, he tied a corner of his cape around one of the posts. He landed a split second later, and jumped again, tying the second. Then the third. Then the fourth. When he was finished, standing in the sand, brushing his hands together, only two seconds has passed. And again, I was amazed. Mandite smiled, flapping his tiny wings.

"Trick of the trade," he said, winking, "you gotta learn how to do these things when you want to be a über cool knight." Walking right underneath the protection of his cape, he gestured us to follow. There was a generous amount of space underneath, thanks to the extraordinary flexibility of the cloth. Aurora and I sat down once we were inside the rectangle, for there wasn't much room for us to stand.

"Lucky there isn't much wind blowing about," Mandite remarked with an air of pleasure, "or else we would have rain blowing into our dry spot – and that wouldn't be cool." And sure enough, the rain didn't. The water droplets began to fall, the drizzle creating a misty appearance. The world around us became grayer and grayer, watched by our silent party, except for the scratches of a pen on paper. Mandite had his little book out, and was writing something down – whatever it was, nobody else knew. I rarely saw that little book; when I did, it was when I awoke suddenly on random nights, and saw Mandite scribbling away before I drifted back to sleep. But now he wrote in the open, where we could obviously see him. We didn't dare disturb him, though – he looked as if he was in deep, serious thought.

Finally, after a long period of silence, Mandite closed his book, and stared at the cloth ceiling above us. And the, surprisingly, he threw his little book upwards. It sailed upwards, flipping about. Instead of falling down, the book melted back into the cape. It was a neat trick, yes, but it raised other questions in my mind.

"Is the cape collecting water?" I asked, looking up at it.

"Yep," Mandite said, nonchalantly.

"Then, wouldn't the cape absorb the water like it absorbed your book?" I continued. Mandite glanced up at his garment.

"Nope," Mandite said, still sounding casual, "if I wanted my cape to absorb water, then I would have to think about my cape absorbing water - and some other thought process I don't know how to describe."

"It takes a lot of mind power to get that cape to absorb and transport items." Mandite finalized, and left me to my admirations of the interesting cape. He grinned at me, and gestured towards the ceiling again.

"If you're thirsty, you can go get some water up there once the rain has passed," he said. I caught Aurora's eye, and her smile – at least she has an answer to her drinking problem now.

~*~

Mandite insisted that he would do the firewood collecting. Then he insisted on making the pit to put the fire in. Then he said he would make the fire. Then he ordered me to go find something to fish.

I didn't object. The ocean welcomed back my presence, the feel of the water bringing back joyful memories as a riolu. It was cool, and the sun was finally peeking out from behind the rain clouds, casting rays of light into the clear water. I began to swim farther out into the ocean, the exhilaration of traditional hunting pulsing through me. I couldn't wait to get out into open water, where it was so deep I couldn't see the bottom at all. I loved that, looking down upon a fathomless void with sun rays streaking all around you. How the light reflects from the scales of finneons, lumineons, barboaches as they swam by stuns me every single time. If I swam out farther, I would begin to witness rarer marine pokemon eating amongst the more common ones. Usually, when I swam out that far, I would see mantykes and mantines. Today, as I pushed farther out in open sea, I found a more diverse variety. It looks like that I wasn't the only one who thought that this was a good fishing territory.

Serenely looping around me with their lengthy coils, were three milotic, donned with their beautiful ruby streamers and marbled tails. These were gorgeous creatures, and uncommon around here – normally, most would live at the bottom of large lakes, so it was a treat seeing some out here. But they were exceedingly large – to the point it sometimes scared me. Although I knew they were gentle giants only wanting a bite to eat, I am afraid they might accidentally snap me up too, for they move fast. I watched them, waiting for my turn to fish.

One of the milotic swam over to peer at me with large, blue eyes. That was strange – I thought milotic had scarlet colored eyes.

_[Do you need help fishing?]_ I heard a giggly, feminine voice ask me. I could easily fish for myself, but I guess my guardian wanted to do something. I gave her a nod.

_[I had a feeling you would be here,]_ Mew said, and then shot off in a brilliant display of colors with a squeal, snagging finneons with her open jaws. I smiled, observing how she deftly plucked them from their schools. Swimming back to me in serpentine motions, she said,

_[Let's go drop these off and get Aurora!]_ she suggested happily. I found myself conflicted.

_[She can't swim, Mew,]_ I said, feeling rather depressed. It would be so nice if she was able to see this incredible beauty. The water was a deep, calming blue, lit by the sun. The schools of marine pokemon swirled and darted, like moving stars in a timeless world. It was incredibly spectacular, but Aurora couldn't swim.

_[Don't worry,]_ Mew said, still keeping on the bright side, _[she can hold onto my back – I won't let her drown.]_ Now this sounded more like a friendly plan.

Mew was speeding over the top of the water, as I kept my hold on her neck, feeling the wind brush over my face, the late afternoon sun shining bright on the ocean. Thanks to Mew's speed, it wasn't long when we reached the shore. She arched her neck high, and I slid off her tail, my feet touching the damp sand. Aurora was looking at the two of us with mild curiosity, her eyes flashing, as Mew snaked through the sand, dropping the load of finneons before Mandite.

"Aurora," I said, "why don't you come out to sea with us? I'd hate to think you'd be bored here." Aurora stepped away from me, as I expected.

"No," she said, her voice shaking, "I'm perfectly fine – you can go." I gave her a warm smile, reaching out to take her trembling paw. I held it protectively, firm but gentle; our eyes met.

"It will be fun," I said, "I promised I won't let you drown before, didn't I?" Mew snaked by, looking steadily at Aurora.

"You can hold onto Mew," I said, letting her know that the milotic was Mew, "you won't have to swim at all." The female lucario's eyes lowered, thinking about the situation. Knowing that if I said anything else, she might feel pressured and would say no; I remained silent, but remained holding her paw. Finally, her eyes gazed up at me, and she smiled a tiny bit, nodding.

"I think I'm crazy, but," she said, hesitating, "I'll go." Happily, I seated myself on the sleek back of Mew and pulled Aurora to sit in front of me. I could feel her body shaking nervously. Taking her paw again, I called back to the remainder of the trio.

"Mandite," I yelled, "want to come?" Mandite looked up to the mentioning of his name, and grinned, seeing us.

"Nah," he said, "I feel like keeping dry today." At first, I was confused – Mandite was the one who wanted to jump into the thick of action, so why did he refuse? Then, I saw him wink at me, and gesture towards the sea.

He was giving me time with Aurora – no wonder. I found myself blushing, and nodded my thanks, as Mew slipped back into the ocean, propelling herself at the surface. It took a while for Aurora to trust our company in the midst of the great ocean, remaining stiff, and her grip tight on my paw.

"Relax, Aurora!" I said, laughing as I brushed her arm, "If you keep being this stiff, we're going to use you as driftwood." Aurora whimpered, nodding. I frowned, observing the situation – how was I going to get Aurora to enjoy this experience? I had to think back to how my parents got me into the water, which was hard; all I could remember in my childhood was wanting to swim all the time.

But I had a vague idea. Gently, I took her arm, and dipped it into the saltwater, much to her dismay. But when the cool clarity of the ocean fluked and plumed about the tip of her paw, the sun lighting up the smooth curves like shining silver, she smiled a tiny bit, mesmerized by the beauty. I lifted her paw from the water and let go of my grasp. Immediately, Aurora held my other paw.

With my free paw, I dipped it beneath the surface, and the spray from it lit up like a bunch of diamonds. I let it stay there, and gazed at Aurora, smiling. She looked back at me uneasily over her shoulder, and then back to the liquid arcs of silver, with diamond rain trailing. It wasn't long when her curiosity prompted her to create this magic again; slowly, and shakily, she reached out, her magenta eyes reflecting fear. But when her paw dipped at the surface, a smooth plume eased out of the water, like a crystalline wing, and she broke into a smile, beaming at her accomplishment. It may not seem like much to me, being able to dip my paw into the water, but for Aurora... Oh Aurora.

"It's so pretty," Aurora breathed, her grasp on my other paw loosening. I smiled, seeing the progress she was making to letting go of her fear of the water.

And as if the whole scene was planned, great eruptions from the sea in a dazzling spray of light exploded before us. From it, the two milotic had flung themselves from the sea, the water trailing their serene, marbled bodies like shards of stars, twinkling before the sun and wide, blue sky. With a clean splash down, the two pokemon disappeared beneath the royal blue surface, their plumed tails slipping under.

"Lucario..." Aurora gasped, mesmerized, "That was..." I could tell that she was amazed by the breath taking sight. I was too, and I was glad to share it with her. I rubbed her paw with mine.

_[They look like they're having fun!]_ Mew whined longingly, her body twisting from her eagerness. I wanted to see what was going on below the surface, where the action really was. Somehow, I needed to get Aurora there, too. I watched her create another arc in the water, smiling broadly.

"It's prettier underwater," I said. Unfortunately, Aurora became still as stone.

"But... But..." I could tell she was panicking. Without meaning to, I wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and turned her so she could face me a little bit.

"Trust me, Aurora," I smiled, "have I ever let you drown?" I began to wonder whether or not she was remembering the time she was washed away by the flash flood. I retrieved her and she lived. Could that be enough trust?

She slowly smiled. It was.

"All right," I said, holding her, "just hold you breath, okay?" She nodded, nervously – luckily for me, her curiosity kept driving her to face her own fear. Mew, hearing the okay to dive, gave a great squeal, and with a big jerk, her powerful muscles propelled us out of the water, flying us in a great arc and SPLASH!

Before us, underneath the surface was the bright blues of the sea, gradually growing darker deeper down. Light from the sky above filtered down, waving about and pierced the darkness, like it was strands of hair from the sun, bending down to look at the rich blues. Darting around these silky strands were pinpricks of silver, like flashing stars in lively motion. Larger, colorful lumineons swam into view in a large school, their fins waving in the water like they were lifted by wind. As we dove deeper, the schools moved their brilliant array around us in a circle, so that we were surrounded. Weaving between the thicks and thins of the schools were the milotic, the sun bringing out the stunning hues of their streamers and tails. Mew followed the milotic, weaving herself and us into the cloth of marine life. It felt almost as though we were flying through stars.

But goodness can never last forever. Mew plummeted down deeper, beneath the schools. Suddenly, she made a sharp incline and rocketed towards the sparkling surface, as the marine pokemon created a tunnel of silver, pinks, and periwinkles around us. We broke into a plume of water and spray, the brightness of the sun almost blinding us. I blinked, my eyes adjusting to the light. Aurora was gasping for air, holding my arm tight – was that a good sign?

"Aurora?" I asked, becoming increasingly worried, "Are you all right?" To my surprise and utmost delight, she whipped around with a big grin on her face.

"We're going again, right?" she asked eagerly, her eyes brightening with laughter. I couldn't resist smiling; she had done it.

~*~

Mew had left us, returning to the Tree of Beginning, at the shore, with the two of us laughing with joy and exhilaration.

But by now, we had calmed down, sitting side by side upon a smooth outcropping some ways off from Mandite and the tent-like shelter, enjoying the last bits of the day by watching the sunset.

I kept my eyes on the scene before me, as the sun sank lower towards the ocean, the sky becoming golden from its radiating warmth. The clouds were growing into lovely shades of pink, orange, and scarlet, trailing off into wisps that streaked across the sky like the strokes of a careless brush. The ocean, too, had slipped on its gold shawl in the presence of the beautiful sun, studded with winking jewels. The ocean was singing her calming lullaby, as the sun began to turn in for the night, the frothy waves crashing upon the shore where we sat.

At this point, I was filled with mixed emotions. Aurora, Mew, and I had a great time as we dove through living nebulae. I was beyond glad that Aurora got to see why I loved my homeland so much, and even happier that she enjoyed it too. However, the first part of the day was terrible. Only if the entire day was just as great as the last hour or so, then I wouldn't feel as bad. I know it wasn't my fault that the weather had turned out the way it did, but I felt the way I felt.

"Lucario?" I heard Aurora call my name.

"Hmm?" I answered, my eyes still on the horizon. I heard a small chuckle from her.

"What are you thinking now?" she asked me. Blinking, I turned to look at her, my eyes meeting her own with their dazzling characteristics. My heart would have fluttered – but it had been long time since it was broken.

"Just thinking about the day," I said, sighing. She smiled, her feet tracing some unknown figure on the water.

"Lucario?" she called for me again in her gentle voice.

"Yes?"

"I'm glad we're here," she continued, "I had a really great time – we should come back again." Ah, only if that were true.

"Well," I said, shifting my seating, "today could have been much better – you know we could have saw the sunrise, and felt the warmth of the noon." I sighed, wishing that we could have. Now we can't, because tomorrow we would be traveling with an urgency that made us blind to such beautiful spectacles.

"I wish you could have seen a perfect day," I concluded, and continued to watch the sun, now touching the sea. From my side, I heard Aurora laugh.

"You can wish all you want, Lucario," she said, "but it's more than good enough for me." I did not expect what came next – at all.

I gave her a sideways glance, and saw her lean towards me, so that her muzzle brushed my cheek. And then, I felt something warm and gentle rasp a tiny length of the side of my face. Something inside me burst into life, and was flapping about wildly. My face became very warm as I became bashful.

It took me a while, but I realized she had kissed me.

Aurora drew away from me, and smiled brightly, not deterred by what she had done in any sort of way. I looked back at her, my heart reborn and pounding furiously, not knowing what to say at all.

"Aurora?" I found my heart speaking through my mouth.

"Yes, Lucario?" she asked, her head tilted to the side, the golden light shining on her beautiful face. I swallowed, thinking I might die on the spot.

"Wha -" I couldn't pull my voice together, "I... I..." I coughed, and shook my head, as Aurora watched me, curiously.

"Aurora," I began again, my voice becoming softer, "I just wanted to say..." My face flushed and I looked down at the ground, hoping that something would come and help me. Now I seriously think I'm having a heart attack from my anxiety.

"Yes?" I heard her gentle voice. At that moment I looked up at her.

"I lo -"

"WHERE HAVE YOU TWO BEEN?!" We both jumped from the sudden noise, startled. Turning around, we saw someone barely recognizable. But I could tell it was Mandite. I sighed, feeling dejected – the moment was gone. I was so close...

"What happened to you?" Aurora cried out. Mandite stopped before us, his entire body covered in black ash, his bright eyes glaring up at us.

"The fire blew up on me," he muttered, glancing at a blackened arm, "but it's time to eat, whether you like it or not – I'm starved!" He marched off, brushing off clouds of black ash as he grumbled. Aurora snickered, and gave me a small smile.

"Well, you heard him," she said, brushing me on the shoulder, "it's time to go." I smiled back, sadly; I guess I could wait till tomorrow. We both got up, and Aurora bounded off to poke fun at Mandite's misfortune, leaving me behind.

I watched her leave, hearing her laugh in the distance, feeling dazed. Lifting a paw, I touched the place where she kissed me, and smiled.

I guess this was more than a good enough day for me, too.

* * *

**Should've written it better... T_T**

**AAWWWWWWWWWWW MANDITE!!!! He had to ruin the moment, didn't he? :3  
**


	24. Chapter 24

For once, I wanted to wake up before Mandite did, for several reasons.

The stranger reasons for waking up so early was to actually try and wake up before he did. Then I wanted to see when he would wake up. I condemn myself a strange and befuddled soul.

And then there was the other reason – I wanted to prepare myself for what I had to say today. Today, I'm actually going to tell Aurora the whole three words... I hope. I woke up early to prepare myself emotionally, but I guess that's nothing compared to the real deal.

So I did awaken, and to my dismay, I saw the place where Mandite had slept was empty. I wonder where he could have went. Aurora was laying peacefully beside me. Quietly, I left her, knowing that this was among the most remote parts of Sinnoh – she'll be fine.

I traveled back to where we had been sitting yesterday, and sat upon the rock, gazing around at the dark sky, twinkling with stars. I relished the sight of the moon hanging low over the sea. It was so nice; but soon dawn will approach and Aurora will waken. I must be calm, and I must stay that way.

I didn't say anything at all. I didn't think about a long speech to drone on about, nor I didn't practice saying "I love you". I can speak, so I felt I didn't have to practice like that. I find it a little silly, in fact.

Instead, I raised my arms over my head in a straight line, perpendicular to the ground. Then I folded them across my chest, just below my spike, and raised a foot to my knee. How I would prepare myself for that moment, when it comes, is through thai chi.

As I moved my body slowly about, my breathing calm, and my mind clear, I thought about why I should stick my neck out and dare to confess my feelings for Aurora. Something told me yesterday she loved me, too. She had kissed me, which made it more obvious to me. I remembered Mandite saying that she did care for me – he was an observant individual; maybe he is right about that.

But then she loved Zhoke, didn't she? Didn't she say that the only male for her was him? My heart used its wings to cuff the pessimistic thinking from my mind. Things change, like the tide – could it have changed for us? Ah, the fear of being rejected squeezes my newly born heart with anxiety. It would hurt me, my pride, and our relationship if she didn't return my love. How would she think of me then?

If I don't say anything though, my chance may slip away – for good this time. I had to do it, even if I risk my pride. I want her to know that I love her, and I would be there for her.

The wind blowing from the ocean filled my lungs, making my head clear. Keeping my eyes closed and my conscience open, I gradually made my way through several poses with ease and comfort.

Does Aurora love me? I guess I'll learn soon, but I can't get anxious now. I must remain calm.

For some reason, Aurora had woken up early, and she was calling out for me, startling my senses. My eyes flung open, and saw her running towards me.

"Lucario, Lucario!" she cried out. I could only think of one thing.

"What happened?" I shouted back. She continued to run until she stopped within several feet from me. Looking at her face, she looked bewildered, but extremely happy. This startled me – what was it? Did Mandite find the portal? Did Dhenalix's egg hatch? Aurora panted, catching her breath.

"Aurora!" I heard a strong, vaguely familiar voice call out from behind her. My heart sank. No... No... How did he find us? How?

"Just give me a minute, Zhoke!" Aurora pleaded, and the blaziken sighed impatiently, ruffling his feathers. My heart sank down so low, ready to be trampled by the tall, rough Zhoke. My breath started to stagger, and I began to shake. I knew Aurora was going to leave – today.

"Zhoke just asked me to marry him and be his mate!" Aurora announced to me joyfully. I blinked, feeling as though I was in a nightmare.

"Erm... Congratulations," I muttered, lowering my eyes, unable to hold back my sadness. Aurora noticed, and touched my shoulder gently.

"What's wrong?" she whispered. I didn't want Zhoke to hear what I had to say.

_[I thought he cheated on you,]_ I said, _[how can you go off and be his mate when he loves another?!]_ Aurora seemed appalled at first and then replied,

_[He told me that he would stop cheating on me when I asked him about it,]_ Aurora stepped away from me, and looked at me with a steady gaze. I looked up, recovering my senses, almost as my body was conducted by artificial intelligence. In the background, I could see Zhoke, smirking. I glared at him.

"Lucario," Aurora said, smiling sadly, "you have been the best friend I have ever had, and I am glad to have been." It seemed that the pair were mocking at my despair and yet another heartbreak, my poor, newly reborn heart suffering a huge blow. But my facial muscles remained hard and stern. Aurora's smile faltered, seeing my expression.

"You'll miss me, right?" she asked, timidly, tilting her head. I gazed at her, my eyes cold.

_[More than you'll ever know,]_ I said softly, and turned away, closing my eyes. I felt my feet move, transporting me far from the pair, in all my anguish.

_[Lucario, wait!]_ I heard her voice in my head. Why should I care? I continued to walk away. From behind me, I heard Zhoke say,

"Leave him alone – come now, Aurora my love; my master is waiting for us." I heard the two walk away, their feet heavy in the sand. Meanwhile, I had stopped in my tracks, staring at the surf, each wave washing upon the shore. I listened to the ocean, its song indifferent and calming. Just on the horizon, the sun rose into the sky in soft pastel colors, the sky melting into the sea like harmony, as if they were holding hands. It was the most beautiful sunrise I had every seen. In the distance, I saw milotic frolic at the surface, and wingull flap by lazily. All of them, everything else, was having a perfect day. Ironic.

Sitting down on the smooth stone in the same place where I sat yesterday, I stared into the ocean. This wasn't fair – it's almost like a curse. I wonder how Sir Aaron's lucario's family felt when he disappeared forever. They must have been devastated, as the world around them celebrated the peace and savior from a civil war. Now, as a descendant, I sit here in despair and sorrow as the world around me lived cheerfully. Maybe Aurora and Zhoke took Mandite along with them, and left me behind. That must be it.

I expected myself to start crying, something I hadn't done since I was a young riolu. But, I felt not a tear welling up in my eye; instead, I felt anger. Intense anger. Why must I be the unlucky one? It had to be me, didn't it? I stood up, breathing deeply. Zhoke had to come along and take Aurora's love, didn't he? I bet destiny decided that it would just play fun with me, and make me miserable as the world lived on happily. It had to be me.

The fury inside me from my loss built up so greatly, I yelled, and conjured up an aura sphere, shooting it into the water. The surface exploded with silt, saltwater, and traces of my aura. I threw another one, causing another large explosion. Somehow, I found pleasure taking out my anger, wanting to blast anything that came in my way. I gasped for breath, clenching my fists.

Then, I threw back my head and cried out in anguish, loosing my mind to my fury and sorrow, blasting my surroundings with aura spheres, a voice screaming inside me, "WHY ME?!" I ran – I ran away as far as I could, sending towers of sand shooting into the air around me. I rendered another aura sphere, and slammed it into a stray tree. The wood splintered before the raw energy, and fell in two. I kept running.

I found a peaceful grove – it wasn't peaceful for long. Trees fell before me, in showers of wood splinters, leaves, and dirt. The air was trickling with my aura, so much used in the destruction of a sanctuary. Did I care?

Not one bit. I yelled again, and moved onward. Aurora – you had to leave me, didn't you? You had to deceive me, making me believe that you loved me, didn't you? And then you would bring Zhoke here and come tell me right in front of him that you were going away, right when I was about to say I loved you. I loved you! Why must you tear at me?!

"WHY?!" I cried, throwing an aura sphere into a rocky outcropping, the strength of it causing it to break into oblivion. I let the shards of stone rip at me – I didn't care. I kept running, running. I kept running to run from my sadness and anger, running fast and swift, leaving a trail of destruction behind me. Rendering another aura sphere, I prepared to cut down a great tree, so that it would feel my anguish too. I conjured a large aura sphere, ready to do the job quickly. My mind seethed, ready to feel the satisfaction of major devastation.

I shot it forward, watching it as it blazed over the soil bright blue. I was ready for the sickly satisfying crack of it breaking wood fibers. I was ready.

But something small, fast, and with a shining face lunged before the tree with a brilliant flash of light, and then the aura sphere shot off to the left, crashing into the ground.

"Stop this madness, Lucario!" I heard a voice call out to me. Before me, as dirt showered around him, his cape waving in the wind, his yellow eyes glaring as though they could see through me, his mask gleaming, holding a pronged, golden blade with two gloved hands, was Mandite.

Suddenly, something broke within me, filling me with a sense of helplessness, the sight of the standing figure of my friend wrenched me into sanity. Instead of quipping in a playful voice, "you dimwit!" or, "you nut head!", he waved a gloved hand him in a gesture to look around.

"Behold," he said, in a dark voice. Slowly, as I turned in a circle, I saw the devastated land blown apart, still engulfed with aura – where there was once life, I saw despair and death. Seeing what I've done, I felt the breath squeezed from my lungs, and my knees gave way. I collapsed, kneeling before the world.

What have I done?

I felt my eyes become crowded with moisture. No, don't cry – the world would see you're weak. But there wasn't anyone around except for Mandite, gazing upon me with a scathing glare. Moisture continued to collect in my eyes.

The moisture became so thick that it fell, forming into the slim shape of a teardrop. As I watched it fall, I made silently sent out my sorrow.

A tear for those who had suffered because of me.

Another tear fell for the shame for what I have done.

A third tear followed for Aurora. Aurora... All those memories, joy, regret, sadness, and laughter – there were so many passing before me. Her smile, her eyes, her kiss – I could imagine that day, that one beautiful sunset. I could see her, I could almost reach out and touch her. I held my arm out, hoping to feel her soft fur.

I found empty space.

And then I couldn't hold my tears anymore.

~*~

Once I had found the strength to talk, I told Mandite everything. He listened, quietly sitting and observing me from underneath his mask. I told him, pouring all my anguish and sorrow, all my despair. I cried between sentences, unable to continue on with my ranting until I regained control again. And as I told him, all the precious memories ran before my eyes, causing more tears to fall.

"Calm yourself," the little warrior said, "it's not going to be that bad." My mind was growing numb from the pain the heartbreak brought. Blankly, I stared at the young Mandite – what does he know about loss, about suffering, and about love? He never loved another like I loved Aurora. He never loss anybody he cared for – how can he understand that this was terrible. How can he toss it aside and say it was okay?

"Well, are you going to mope here all day?" he said, standing up on the smooth stone, "You can't give up on her, you know – you love Aurora, and she loves you!" I blinked hard, not believing a word he said. If Aurora really did love me, then she would have stayed. Suddenly, I remembered her soft touch, the gentle rasp of her tongue against my cheek. I could feel it, as if she was still there. My breathing tightened, thinking about that one perfect moment; I lifted my paw to touch that very spot, damp from my tears. I will never forget.

"Dude, it's not like that she doesn't hold at least _some_ kind of affection at all," Mandite snapped impatiently, "I mean, c'mon – you two have traveled together for like nine years and you're her best friend. You taught her everything, you saved her life, and were very compassionate with her. Even if she lived to be a thousand years old, she would still love you and recall that she kissed you on the cheek once." I felt my face burn.

"You saw that?" I asked weakly.

"Well, what else is there to see - the sand?" Mandite scoffed, "That proves she does have some feelings for you, 'cuz you don't see people around here smooching at first glance." I sighed, thinking back to what Mandite had said earlier. Did she really love me? But she possibly couldn't have; she ran off with that blaziken. I looked helplessly at Mandite – he could easily read emotions, so did he know?

"Did Aurora... Love me?" I asked, my voice incredibly soft, so vulnerable sounding. I remember the night I had rescued her from the flash flood, when I first realized that I loved her. I remember her head resting gently against me, her body curled in my lap, as I cradled her in my arms. That night I was afraid I had lost her then. But today, she was gone.

"It's not a lost cause," I looked back up at Mandite, "the wedding is being held at a little town not so far from here – we can go there and get you to Aurora somehow, and then you can tell her your stuff." I shook my head fiercely, my heart pounding. It would be rude to barge into their party. She would think I'm crazy – everybody would. Besides, she didn't love me. It would be a vain attempt, a silly attempt. Why would I interrupt her special day just to say "I love you"? That was a pointless, silly idea... I glanced up at Mandite, his eyes narrowing into dangerous slits, which startled me.

"Okay, let's cut the crap," he said sharply, with a whip-lashing tongue, "You may think I don't understand you situation, but I know perfectly well I have lost someone." Mandite huffed, glad to have my attention, before continuing,

"Uncle Tally always had cared for me. He always told me stories at night – my favorite one was the Three Swords of Time. He had one of them himself." Mandite pulled out Galaxia, its deadly glory hidden by its sheath, examining it sadly.

"This is also one of them," he touched the blade, "I left the house to find it, a quest no one has ever returned from alive. But I did it." He said, with a shaking breath.

"I couldn't wait to return home and show him, the wish of my childhood dreams. He would be so proud of me, and would pat me on the back crying out, "you've done it, mah boi!" like he always had. The road to get this sword had been hard, with more than plenty of nightmarish creatures and deaths to face. I was young, and wanted to be with my uncle, the only one who had taken me in with loving arms." Mandite shuddered, to my surprise.

"But when I opened the door, all I found was a good inch of dust on every surface. Not a broadly smiling uncle, not even an annoyed comment." he said, in a trembling voice, "I called for him all over the house – I couldn't believe that he was gone. I was alone with the empty air, and my footprints in the dust." Mandite paused, our eyes meeting. I was dumbfounded – so, when Mandite went to his world, he wouldn't have his uncle to welcome him back. Mandite, blinking, coughed and continued.

"I spent months looking for him throughout the universe, but now I realize my world was too big and Uncle Tally was gone so long that... That he may have died already. Bruno may have killed him by now."

"Before I left, Uncle Tally had been away at the library, so I left him a note that I was leaving on a quest." he said softly, "I never really got to say good bye to him. I never told him how much I appreciated his stories, his songs, his food – everything. And he may never know." The young warrior closed his eyes. The child was mischievous and playful, but he had his dark secrets, too. I thought how painful it would have been for him, to come back, tired but triumphant, only to find that the loving guardian had disappeared without a word. I looked to Mandite with a new understanding of him. He had opened his eyes again, which was blazing emerald green, like his uncle's.

"I didn't get a chance to say what I wanted to say," he said, the wind picking up his cape so that it billowed, "but you have that chance, Lucario. As I said earlier, Aurora is going to be nearby for a few days before she would have to move along with the migratory pokemon trainer."

"I'm going there – I didn't get to say good bye, nor give her what I needed to give her from Dialga." Mandite said firmly, "I learned full to well that leaving things such as a good bye unattended will haunt you for a lifetime. And who knows – maybe Aurora will come back with us."

"So, you can come with me to go see her – unless you want to stay here and loose Aurora forever." Mandite held out his gloved hand. I stared up at him, and he gazed down upon me. As I said, to barge into the ceremony unannounced, to pronounce one's love for the female was rude and embarrassing beyond belief. But, with the account of Mandite's tragic story, I wondered what life I could be missing. If Aurora did love me, and if I didn't go, then we would both miss the chance of a life together. Should I risk my neck and skin? Should I take the hand?

"Do you love Aurora?" Mandite asked finally, after some time. With that said, I took my paw and shook Mandite's hand firmly.

"I do."

* * *

**I fail... This is too short and crappy... T_T**

**I beg for forgiveness from my readers for the poor work I've done.  
**


	25. Chapter 25

The plan was simple enough. We would get inside the building where the ceremony was, and we would have to get everybody outside – without harming anyone or damaging the building.

"We could pull the fire alarm," Mandite said, thoughtfully, "but then the pokemon wouldn't be afraid, because they know there would be no fire. The people would – they are _so_ gullible." I patiently listened as we made our way towards the little town. Sure, we knew our plan – get everybody else out, and then we say our goodbyes before going away quietly, and the ceremony would be postponed but will be held later – but what was troubling us now was _how_ to get the people and pokemon out. We would have to think of something better than a fire alarm. There would be fire type pokemon, without a doubt, so they would know if there was a fire. They wouldn't run out panicking at any rate. We needed something that everybody would be afraid of, and would want to get out as quickly as possible. But what?

"Hey," Mandite said, giving me a quick glance, "remember the day we were in town where we had the pokemon battle?" I nodded – of course I did. It was a triumphant moment for him and me. Why would he ask me that, though?

"Why was everybody scared of some kind of flood, then?" Mandite asked, "Do you remember that part, then?" Something inside me clicked. I remembered Dhenalix jumping down from the baking roof and into the street, where the people were. One look at him, they started to panic, screaming about they were going to suffer from a great flood. People were definitely scared of absols.

"Mandite," I exclaimed, "Dhenalix was the reason for the panic that day – maybe he could appear inside the ceremonial place and scare the people away. He did that last time." Mandite's amber eyes brightened.

"That's right!" he agreed happily, "Now let's hope he's not on any excursions. I know a shortcut to his place – follow me!" The little energetic beast bounded away, through the path of destruction – the one I made earlier. I sadly took in the bedraggled, dreary sight.

"Hurry up!" I heard Mandite's now distant voice call to me impatiently. I tore my eyes from the darkened place and followed his trail of parted grass in the prairie. I couldn't see the little warrior anywhere, but I knew where he went.

I heard some rusting in the tall grass, but I ignored it.

That turned out to be a big mistake. A heavy force slammed into my side, knocking me into the ground, causing me to yelp in surprise. Struggling, I looked into the face of my attacker.

It was smoky gray, with strands of snow white fur covering some of his crimson eyes, glaring sharply at me. His teeth was set in a snarl, and I could feel his hot breath.

"Dhenalix?" I asked in disbelief. The absol blinked his eyes softening with recognition.

"Lucario," he gasped, surprised, "what are you doing here alone?" The absol stepped off from me, and I panted for breath, having the wind knocked from me.

"I'm not alone," I breathed, "Mandite is somewhere over there." I waved my arm in the direction where he had went. Dhenalix's head pricked up, gazing.

"I think he is coming back," the absol said. True to his word, we saw the blue puffball come hustling back, holding his backpack on the top of his head. He seemed he was ready to scold me, until he saw Dhenalix. His eyes brightened.

"Dhenalix," he cried out happily, "we need your assistance!" The absol cocked his snowy head, and blinked.

"What sort of assistance?" Dhenalix asked in his deep, raspy tone. Mandite clapped his gloved hands together.

"Well," Mandite said, beginning to explain the situation, "Aurora left with a blaziken called Zhoke to -"

"Zhoke?" the absol said with distinct recognition, his eyes wide, "what happened?" Mandite and I stared at him. What was going on?

"Well," Mandite said, eying the absol with a sense of suspicion, "they're going to get hitched. They left before we got to say proper good byes." And then, gesturing towards me with a shrug of his wings, he added,

"He's got a soft spot for her," I blushed a little bit, although I was sure the absol knew – he had talked to me on the roof that other time. However, something was troubling me greatly. Dhenalix's eyes were wide and at a loss, his breathing deep. The absol was in shock, pawing the ground nervously.

"Dhenalix?" Mandite asked, waving a hand in his vision. Dhenalix blinked and then crouched low to the ground, bowing his head so that it brushed the dirt.

"Forgive me, Lucario," he growled in an anxious tone, "I didn't know..." What was he talking about? Mandite and I glanced each other, concerned. What was going one? Mandite tapped Dhenalix's foreleg for attention.

"What the heck are you talking about?" He demanded. The dignified absol sank impossibly lower to the ground, wincing from the question. Dhenalix peered up at me, his eyes pleading.

"I am terribly sorry, Lucario," he said, shaking, "but I was the one who brought Zhoke to Aurora – I didn't know he was interested in her, I swear." Shock and disbelief punched me hard in the stomach. How did he get to meet Zhoke? What happened when he did meet him? I felt no resentment, however; he had no knowledge about Zhoke's and Aurora's relationship. Instead, I calmly asked,

"How did you meet Zhoke?" Dhenalix pawed the ground with his paw nervously.

"His trainer had a mightyena that tracked your scents, up until the Scarred Lands – that's what Zhoke told me. Then his trainer flew over that land, and came upon our place. When I came home that day, I found Lily unconscious with the trainer pulling out a pokeball." He panted.

"I attacked them, but then Zhoke pinned me down by my neck, here," The absol lowered his head so that three gashes in his beautiful white mane showed, "and I begged him not to take Lily, and I would do anything for them if they listened to me." I began to see how the story unfolded with sickening horror. I wouldn't blame him – he was protecting his mate.

"At first, Zhoke didn't really say anything, because he didn't know what to request," Dhenalix continued, "but then the mightyena could smell a faint trace of Aurora – your scent trail was washed by a heavy rain day before yesterday. So, knowing that she had been here, he demanded to know where she went, and... And I didn't want them to take Lily, so... So I told them." He gazed at me helplessly.

"I didn't know Lucario, I'm sorry," he apologized quickly, "I caused you much pain – please forgive me; I didn't mean you harm." Never before I have seen or imagine Dhenalix acting so helpless – not even if Giratina were to be mad at him I have never imagined such thing. So it appalled me greatly to see this before my eyes.

Was I angry? Did I feel betrayed?

No. He had been threatened, and he had no idea what Zhoke's intentions were. Yes it would have been nice if things turned out differently, like if Zhoke ended up wandering throughout the Scarred Lands instead, but I have learned the hard way that most things will never come the way one would want it to. Dhenalix hung his head.

"Dhenalix," I said, slowly, "I understand – I'm actually glad that Lily is now safe. I'd rather have Aurora go off like she did now than have a mother taken from her family – Aurora doesn't love me anyways; we're only saying good bye." Dhenalix's face smoothed and he smiled warmly.

"You'll never know," he said, his crimson eyes shining, before he turned to Mandite, business-like, "now, please continue with your plan – I would like to make up for what I've done in any way I can." But Mandite seemed to be sobered up by something, like our plan had gone wrong. Dhenalix noticed this, too.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked the little warrior. Mandite's amber eyes blinked from underneath his masked.

"Would Zhoke recognize you?" the warrior asked. Dhenalix thought for a moment, tilting his scythed head to the side.

"Most likely not," he pondered, "we absols look very much alike – it's just he will recognize my voice." Then he eyed Mandite with suspicion.

"What is it that you want me to do?" He continued, raising to his feet.

"Okay," Mandite said, ready to explain, but then looked around, "is it all right if we could walk and talk? We need to cover some distance."

"Of course," Dhenalix accepted graciously, and the three of us began to trek towards our destination at a hastened pace. The whole while, Mandite explained our priorities to Dhenalix, and his role that would play in it. Dhenalix agreed that it was effective to an extent – we just needed a story. Someone would tell it in place of Dhenalix, since Zhoke would recognize it and might suspect something; the result would empty the place of life except for us and Aurora. But there were still loopholes to close. What would be the chosen story? And how are we going to get Aurora to stay behind? In this act, when we somehow get the participants to desert the building, would test if Zhoke really did care for Aurora to the extent of theorizing her safety is more important than his own. Will he run with his chosen mate? Or will he dash out by himself?

But basically, we needed one that would get the job done. Of course, once we had our good byes said and done, the ceremony would be continued – who knows when, but it would. Nobody would be hurt, nothing would be damaged, and afterwards life would resume as normal. That was the beauty of Mandite's plan.

"It's being held here," Mandite said, when he had came to check his map, "it's some ways off, but the ceremony is definitely not taking place today – perhaps tomorrow." Dhenalix also went to look, curious whether or not he had been there before or not. He claimed he didn't, but at least Mandite was good with navigating. Undeterred, we marched onward, through the thick forest that separated us from human civilization. Our progress was somewhat held back from a pace that would have taken us to the town by the end of the day, but since we had to check the map every so often to make sure we were heading in the right direction, we only made it three fourths of the way there. However, Mandite told me cheerfully that we were making better progress than we thought.

"Remember, Lucario," he said, as the three of us rested for the night – we didn't want to make a dangerous journey through the night, "The ceremony is at the _earliest_ tomorrow. Ceremonies take a long time to prepare for – _especially_ when you're human."

"Zhoke is not human," I said, sitting at a comfortable distance from our meager fire. A golden glow was cast on Dhenalix's smiling face.

"Yes, that's true," Dhenalix interjected, "but he has a domineering human trainer that will most likely carry out the activities." Realizing that this was true, I sheepishly stared into the fire, blushing from embarrassment. It was funny how I was more shy now than my stone cold self so many months ago. That was before I realized the beauty of Aurora's eyes; and then that was it.

Staring into the fire, I began to wonder if this last excursion was just a silly, overdone attempt. I mean, we're going to disturb a special moment just to say good bye – was that necessary? I glanced up to look at Mandite.

"Do you really think that this is really that necessary?" I asked him. The look on Mandite's face made me smile. It was the look of utmost disbelief and horror, exaggerated to a silly extent.

"I can't believe you would say that, of all people!" he gasped, but then continued in a serious voice, "But there is importance in this. Before I left, I would give Aurora something that she must hold on to, but now that she is gone, I have to go give it to her." He patted his backpack happily. Dhenalix gazed at him calmly, making a small nod of approval. I, on the other hand, was wondering what this thing could be.

"Is it important?" I asked. Mandite rolled his eyes.

"If it wasn't important, then we wouldn't be here right now." he laughed, "Yes, Lucario, it is _extremely_ important – it's the thing that I have to give Aurora from Dialga." With the mention of the deity's name, my obscurity vanished. It was important – could it be that secret he was forbidden to tell so long ago atop a mountain ridge?

"You know what, Lucario? I'm gonna let 'ya in on the secret," Mandite said, winking, "you know, the one that Tyyakkuvh told me from Dialga." I was surprised, as well as the absol stretched out to the side of me.

"Why?" I asked, appalled.

"'Cuz secrets are only fun when they're shared with everyone," the warrior grinned, and I smiled back. But, knowing Mandite, he wouldn't carelessly give out information to just anyone. He had to carefully consider the option, so I felt safe about the judgment.

"Well," Mandite said, after getting the okay from Dhenalix, "It turns out Aurora is part of some hunky dory prophecy she and two other people will have to fill later, and she needs to know about it before she parts ways. When the time comes, she'll know what to do." Aurora was part of a prophecy? That's something new – it looks like that the two of us weren't just ordinary lucarios wandering the Sinnoh region. How I wished that could be true, but as I said, things most of the time will not turn out the way one wishes for.

"So that's it – that's the super important thing that is super important for her to have before she goes off traveling with Zhoke," Mandite concluded, and then adding with a sly tone, "or before I leave you two lovebirds..." I blinked.

"That's impossible," I snorted, but in my heart, I wished that would be true. The warrior only shrugged nonchalantly.

"Nothing is impossible where I come from," he said, "but don't get your hopes too high, either. 'Night you two." And with that, the warrior covered his body with the Dimensional Cape, such powerful object serving as a mundane blanket. I looked at the little bundle, thinking about what he had said.

"Lucario," I turned to look at Dhenalix, "don't loose hope – love is an extremely unpredictable game. Take me for example." I frowned at him.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked. The absol chuckled, shaking his head.

"I'm an absol, the disaster pokemon. Many pokemon are prejudiced about my type, and believe it would be bad luck to be a mate to one." he explained, "And yet, thank my lucky stars, I have Lily." Dhenalix closed his eyes, smiling. I smiled too, for the fortunate male. It must be hard being an absol, while the rest of the world blamed you for the cause of catastrophes. And yet, he was now a father.

"How is the egg doing?" I asked him. Dhenalix, rested his head atop his forelegs, smiling with warmth.

"I was about to ask what was your approximation on the time we would get back," he said softly, "the egg might hatch in a few days, so I want to be there to see my child." The gentleness of his voice created a melancholy feeling within me. I was glad that he was going to see the child he had expected so long, but it reminded me of myself. How old was I now? Seventeen – in less than half a year, I would become of age of eighteen years. What seemed so far away was now just around the bend; life with a mate, and a family. My heart sank, just realizing how close I was to becoming a mature lucario. All of those things were just in reach, and now, it seems, it would be nice if I had them. It's strange, feeling so grown up already, spending my life putting that matter aside. Now, it hit me like falling boulders. Life with Aurora was easily imaginable – I spent most of it with her, anyways. And I can't imagine spending the rest of it with anyone else. I looked up, and met Dhenalix's calm, crimson gaze. A sympathetic smile appeared on his face.

"You remind me so much of myself when I realized I was on the verge of adulthood," he told me, gently, "Don't loose hope, Lucario." The absol sank his scythed head down, resting it on his forelegs, closing his eyes.

"Sleep well, Lucario," he whispered in his deep voice.

"You too,"

~*~

The sun was shining in mid morning position by the time we broke out from the forest and into the bright light. Before us was a neatly organized town, with beautifully constructed buildings, so spectacular I even admired it. But, wandering throughout it, I began to wonder something.

"Mandite?" I asked.

"Yeah?" he acknowledged my request.

"How are we going to know where the ceremony is held?" I continued with my question, "There are many fancy buildings." Mandite tapped the side of his mask and Dhenalix pawed the grass, both thinking deeply.

"We could have arrived early," the absol hypothesized. Mandite scanned the street, and then his eyes brightened.

"Let's just follow the crowd," he pointed to the groups of people heading towards a single building, "c'mon!" The three of us ran, but kept our distance and tried to remain inconspicuous as possible. And so, Mandite lead us in a wide arc around the central gathering place, around the people. We finally made it to the building, lining carefully against the wall so it we were less likely to be seen. I had a good feeling that Zhoke and his trainer would recognize us, both of whom were standing right outside. Knowing Zhoke's protective manner, he would definitely want to chase us away. I bet he wouldn't even negotiate us and call upon several of the police pokemon to attack us.

"We have to find a way in," Mandite hissed to the rest of us, "let's snoop around!" All three of us crouched and started to slink away in the shadows, looking for some kind of back entrance or even a window along the stony sides. There were large, multi colored stained windows above us, but they were only useful for a dramatic entrance. Dhenalix sniffed to see if he could catch a scent of what was inside – this would mean an opening of some sort, which could be our way in. I too started to sniff, bringing the air over my scent glands. So far, I smelt the earth, the vegetation, and the faint trace of wood burning coming from the main entrance behind us. Mandite kept his eyes peeled – er sharp – on the lookout for a suitable window to climb through. Meanwhile, he kept our minds busy with a predicament.

"So," he whispered, feeling the wall for any possible hidden doors, "have any of you thought of a story, yet?" I froze – I haven't even thought of it at all. I hopefully looked to Dhenalix, but he seemed to be as thunderstruck. My heart sank dejectedly. "None of you?" Mandite hissed with disbelief, "Gosh!" Dhenalix glared at Mandite.

"It would help if you had thought, too," he growled impatiently, "besides, it would take a lot more than an absol to scare off some much larger pokemon – there would have to be this frightening force that strikes fear into the very soul." Oddly, in a strange coincidence, I felt some fear creep into my heart. It was unsettling, bringing images of Bruno stabbing his long sabers into a helpless female, and many of the horrors of dreaming. From behind me, a dark, whisper asked,

"How may I be of assistance?" Slowly turning around, I met icy blue gaze that sent cold chills up and down my spine, as the shadowy figure stared back at me, calmly.

"Well?" Darkrai asked, expectantly. Dhenalix blinked, keeping respectfully silent, but Mandite seemed to bubble over in enthusiasm.

"I have the perfect job for you!" Mandite beamed enthusiastically, "I need you to scare away a whole building full of people without being seen, and to think of a disaster story fit for an absol to tell – oh, and do you know of any secret entrances into this building?" Darkrai looked down upon the little warrior with an amused expression. He folded his arms, black, cloud-like material flowing from them.

"That's easy," the Legendary chuckled in an unexpectedly, good natured tone, "All I have to do is to sit in the ground while you say that this building was built over a cemetery, and the unhappy spirits will rise and haunt them for the rest of their lives if they don't get out in thirty seconds." We were all impressed with the idea.

"And the entrance?" Mandite asked, hopefully.

"Go around to the back of this building, and you'll find a door that leads you to some backstage type room," he said, pointing, "it will be locked, though, so try to find a way to get in." By now we were amazed by the Legendary pokemon and his ease of knowledge. It raised many questions in my mind that I wanted answered.

"Hey Darkrai, sir?" Mandite called to him, "Can you do one more thing for us?" Darkrai, who had started to sink into the ground as a shadow, his body material melting lower and lower, looked up. Half of his body was now subterranean, the shadowy material billowing around him.

"Yes, and that would be...?" Darkrai's voice trailed off, waiting for a reply. Mandite looked at me and Dhenalix, then back to the patiently waiting Legendary before saying,

"Can you be the one who tells the people the story? I mean, none of us has a really scary voice." Darkrai gazed steadily at us.

"Certainly," he agreed, "just meet me at the ceremonial room, wherever it may be." And with that, the rest of the Legendary sank into to shadow. The dark patch on the ground began to race away in zig zag trails, and through a wall. I merely watched him go, awestruck by the easy cooperation we had received. We were all surprised, and delighted.

"Now let's go inside" Mandite said in a new, reinvigorated manner, "move out!" The three of us moved along the wall with a quickened step, rounding the corner of the building so that we now faced the back of it, facing a forest. Traveling along it, we found Darkrai true to his word – there was a small door without a handle.

"Looks like something a janitor would use," Mandite observed, "let's see – it opens out this way so..." It was easy for me to tell that the warrior was formulating a scheme that would lead us inside. It didn't take him long either. He clapped his gloved hands together and motioned for us to come closer. I knelt down, as Dhenalix approached.

"I want you guys to stand over here and do not go anywhere until I tell you," he said, going over to stamp our little place with a foot, "I'll set a decoy and knock on the door – if that fails, I guess we're bashing in." Obediently, we stood in our places, as Mandite walked up to the door. He raised his fist, but thought for a second.

"And whatever you do," Mandite finalized, "don't laugh." I nodded, and the warrior nodded sharply back. Mandite removed his armor, gloves, and cape, revealing his childish appearance to the open world, placing them inside his backpack. He tossed it to me, which I caught, knowing he wanted me to hold on to it for now. Then, he rapped on the door, loud and clear. From inside we heard an annoyed, man's voice call out,

"What?" Mandite continued to knock on the door. The response was immediate, and the door swung open so far it nearly bashed into my nose. I held my breath, wondering what was going on.

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF – oh," The man's infuriated voice had become soft and gentle. I didn't see his body at all, but I saw Mandite. He stood, holding his small hands bashfully, and peered up at the mystery man with innocent, large eyes. Rocking back from side to side, Mandite took up as the actor of a small child – one that he was playing out very successfully.

"Can I come inside?" Mandite's voice was reduced to a tiny whimper as his eyes shone large and watery, "My mommy works here." This new Mandite was so different from the one I knew by heart that I found it amusing. But even I had to admit he looked very adorable indeed. Well done, Mandite.

"Oh, of course, of course," the man said, ushering Mandite inside, "come in." The warrior child motioned his arm for us to follow, and so Dhenalix and I crept carefully behind the man, hiding behind several crates once we got inside the dark and dusty room. The man, who's brown hair was slicked back on his head and dressed in neat clothing, bent down to Mandite and asked,

"Can you find your way from here, little one?" Mandite beamed at him with a babyish smile.

"Yes, thank you!" He hugged the man's leg briefly, and then skipped off giggling, before disappearing behind a crate, waiting for us. The man only smiled, and left in a different direction. Meanwhile, Dhenalix and I waited for a while before we felt that it was safe to walk around. We hurried over to where Mandite hid, the two of us grinning broadly.

"That was brilliant!" the absol exclaimed. I nodded in agreement as Mandite laughed and took his backpack from me.

"It's my specialty," Mandite said, winking. I could see it was – the spell even enchanted me. But now the old Mandite was back, he returned to his business-like manner with a sense of duty other than finding a "mommy".

"All right, let's go!" He announced, and off we went. As we walked in the dark hallway, our footsteps echoing in the empty space, I hoped that Mandite knew where he was going. This was a rather large building, and we could easily become lost within it. But Mandite seemed to be an expertise in navigating unknown territory, whether it was on perilous cliffs or in custodial hallways. He soon lead us to a door along the wall, and cautiously opened it. A shaft of warm light shone into the darkness, some of it covered by the figure of Mandite, peeking.

"Hey," he said, sounding engrossed, "there's a buffet table."

"Is there anyone outside?" Dhenalix asked, his voice pressuring. I didn't know what a buffet table was, but I was going to learn soon enough. Mandite glanced back, his yellow eyes glowing in the dark.

"Nope," he said, "I see some more doors – c'mon!" Opening the door so only that we could slip through, our little mission party made our way across a large room full of white-clothed tables, chairs, and a long table that was covered in food. This must be the buffet table Mandite was so tempted by, I realized with exasperation. It amused me that he chose a path that ran alongside it, while Dhenalix and I went down an open aisle.

"Ooh, muffins!" Mandite piped up happily, glancing at the food array.

"Mandite," I hissed, "we can't eat now." I quickly hid behind a plastic form of a potted plant, with the absol soon after me. But there was no sign of Mandite.

"Mandite!" I hissed again.

"Coming!" I heard him cry, and a shuffle of his small feet brought him, holding his backpack on top of his head with several sweet smelling pastries balanced neatly on top. I sighed, but knew he couldn't resist. He stuffed one of them into his mouth, opening a side door slightly ajar, and peeked through.

"We're have good luck on our side, today," Mandite commented, his mouth half-full, "Coast is clear." We followed him through the door and down a red carpeted hall, with various doors along the sides. The thuds of our feet pounding as we ran by were muffled by the cushioned floor, luckily for us. Other than the man at the dark hall, we did not run into anyone else so far, so maybe that was a good sign. The little warrior, running in the front, plucked the muffins from atop his backpack every so often and ate while on the move. Dhenalix was behind him, his muscles beneath his snowy pelt rippling in fluid, graceful motions. I followed.

However, with the many doors along this lit hall, I began to wonder how is Mandite choosing which way to go? Was he going the right way? The wrong?

My ears picked up the sounds of murmuring, and footsteps not belonging to us. I suppose Mandite saw the shadows of two figures, walking our way.

"Quick!" Mandite hissed, attempting to open a nearby door – however, it was locked, unable to turn. Glancing down the hall, I heard the voices become more audible, defining into a male and a female voice.

"Let me deal with this!" the absol hissed anxiously, and the scythe on the side of his head glowed. In a cutting motion, he raised onto his hind legs and slashed down on the doorknob clean off, so that there was a hole where it once sat. Mandite wrenched the door open, a wave of stale, cold air rushing upon us. Dhenalix dove in, followed by me, and then Mandite, who closed it behind him.

"Heavens..." Mandite whimpered suddenly.

"Shh!" I hissed, peeking out from the hole and listening to who the two were. My heart lightened from the sound of a feminine – Aurora herself. The other was Zhoke, recognizable from his rough, deep voice that seemed to be on fire. I saw the pair, changing the angle of my view so that I could see their faces. Aurora seemed to be sullen and moody, and Zhoke was apparently frustrated.

"What do you mean that I must follow Maggy's orders?" Aurora asked, perhaps not the first time, judging by the exasperated expression on Zhoke's face.

"Because she will be your trainer, once we are bonded," he explained forcefully, stirring anger inside me, "Once we are bonded, you will become her pokemon." Aurora's eyes grew wide with fear, and my stomach felt as though it dropped to my toes.

"You mean... I won't be free anymore?" she asked, breathing deeply. Zhoke blinked, and then his golden gaze softened.

"No, no," he said, placing his arms around Aurora, "it's not like that – I think you will like it." Hah! I say otherwise; Aurora is a free spirit who likes to roam and to be loved genuinely at all times. She must feel the fresh air and grass beneath her feet more often than not, not to be cooped up inside a pokeball. Aurora couldn't be held a captive – she was much too wild for that. She needed to be free, and by the looks of it, she will not get as much leniency as Zhoke does.

She was heading towards a miserable path. Could that be stopped? Anxiously, I watched the pair hold each other, Aurora frowning, her gaze somewhere far off in space. Her eyes had become dull, and almost lifeless, loosing much of the precious beauty I cherished so much. What happened? She stirred, looking up at the tall blaziken.

"Do you smell something funny?" she asked, sniffing. I certainly did – the room we were hiding in was filled with a stale, old stench that was making its way out of the hole of the vacant doorknob. Zhoke sniffed too, and shook his head, not minding it.

"It's all right," Zhoke said assuringly, before brushing her chin with a claw, "Now cheer up, okay my love?" Aurora smiled a little bit, some of the firelight returning to her eyes. Zhoke's eyes widened.

"Honey, don't do that," he gasped. Aurora blinked, confused as she tilted her head to the side.

"Do what?" she asked.

"Your eyes," he said, "They're..." I understood Zhoke; those eyes had at first frightened me by their complexity. But it was that feature that made me realize Aurora's beauty.

"You don't like my eyes?" Aurora asked him, frowning. Zhoke stared at her for a moment, and shifted his gaze.

"Well," he said, "they're are a little creepy, no offense my love." Aurora blinked, her lovely eyes widening with hurt. Meanwhile, I wanted to bust this door down and tell Zhoke that this was no way to treat someone as gentle as Aurora. I growled, but softly enough so that the outside world didn't hear.

"I think they're beautiful," I whispered to Aurora, although I knew she couldn't hear me.

"Come with me, my love," Zhoke said, after several minutes had gone by, "the ceremony is going to start." Holding out a feathery arm which Aurora took, the two walked continued to walk down the hallway, their footsteps fading from hearing range.

"Darkrai was right," Dhenalix gasped, finally making a noise. Mandite groaned as though he was sick. I swung it around, my eyes narrowed.

"What do you – uh..." Then I saw it, in the tiny bit of light that widened lit into the ghastly dark. Covered by phantom like shadows, their wispy claws grasped over the stone fragments, were tombs. Tombs of the dead.

My knees shook violently.

"Let's go," Mandite said, "I think I'm going to barf." Dhenalix and I agreed without hesitation, and we burst out from the room, heading down the hall after Zhoke and Aurora, quivering. That was way too much of a sight for me.

Creeping through a door, we heard the noise of many people and pokemon, hitting us like a gigantic wave of sound. It was dark, but I could see bright lights, and some people beyond the pillar we hid behind.

"We are on the side of the stage," Mandite hissed. Backing away, the warrior gestured to us to come to him – he had a plan. The rest of us crouched, listening intently.

"Okay, I will stay here with Lucario, except I'll be in the crowd over there." Mandite said, pointing to the other dark corner at the back, beyond the fancy decorations of flowers and jars of fire. Dhenalix, noticing his name had not been mentioned to stay, tilted his head to the side.

"And me?" Mandite nodded.

"Go back to the buffet place, and crash through the large doors roaring – it would be good if you broke them," Mandite said, tapping the side of his face thoughtfully, "wait for me to shout 'yipee-ki-yay!', comprende?" Dhenalix nodded.

"Is Darkrai here?" I asked.

"Listen to all those pokemon baying in fear – he's here all right," Mandite exclaimed, "in fact, he's in the middle of the crowd. He's that dark spot over there."

"Now go!" Mandite ushered, waving his hand anxiously. The absol turned around sharply and bounded away, disappearing from view. Mandite melted away into the shadows, heading towards his position, leaving me alone and on stage, behind a great, stone pillar, waiting.

Suddenly, the crowd, who had been as loud as a raging river rushing through its bed, became silent; so quiet, even a whisper of death could be heard. Not a pokemon whimpered or whined or cried. It was silent, except for the fire crackling and spitting inside their ornate jars.

The ceremony has begun.

* * *

**... Darn it. I messed up. Again.**


	26. Chapter 26

I sat in the dark, unseen, unheard, sitting in the one dusty patch in this majestic building. While no one heard a single breath from me, I heard everything else, staring at the wall that law three feet from my nose, cast by a soft golden glow of the fires that lit up the room, the patterns dancing upon the wall. Sometimes, a flash of the rainbow would fly across it, coming from the light striking a crystal chamber.

I didn't know how long this silence lasted, nor saw what was taking place without a sound. But finally, someone spoke.

"Today," I heard a female voice speak loud and clear, breaking the silence, "we bring together two souls to unite as mates and bonds under the Mark." The crowd murmured, and two shadows crawled up the wall in which I faced. Zhoke and Aurora. I didn't dare try to look – someone might see me.

"Sacred Fire has been cherished by the people ever since the beginning of time, even though it came from a region so far away, we still cherish this holy light," the voice continued with eloquence, riveting the feelings inside of me, "but perhaps there is something just as special as the Sacred Fire, and today we will use that such substance to bond these two pokemon as one, cohesive unit!" I heard some applause, as I held me knees to me. Listening to the ceremony made me anxious – when will the time come? What will Aurora think when she finds out this was all a scam? I held my knees closer to me, binding them to me with my arms, waiting.

"This substance is Cinder!" the lady cried, "Yes, Cinder! But this is no ordinary ash that you find once your fireplace has died – no. Cinder is the ash of wood that has been lit by Sacred Fire. This Cinder, this sacred substance, will permanently mark these two pokemon, recognizing them as mates for as long as they both shall live!" More applause, and I nervously buried my head in my arms, biting my tongue. In the darkness, I saw light, bouncing from a plume of water traced by Aurora's gentle paw. Memories...

"Bring the Sacred Fire!" I heard the woman call, "Let the Burning begin!" There was the sound of crackling wood, as a new, bright light whitened the wall before me, the light intruding my enclosing arms. I raised me head, able to make out the figure of Aurora in the two shadows. Aurora... My heart squeezed painfully, and my breathing tightened. I waited.

I began to hear some whimpering out in the crowd – no doubt the pokemon could feel the fear from the powerful aura Darkrai generated. Even people were murmuring about a strange, cold feeling. I shared their fear, but not because of childhood nightmares. I laid my head on my arms heavily, thinking deeply about Aurora. When this is over, will she forgive me? Will she be glad to see me?

There was a shaft of light that notified me of a peeking hole, where I could get a good view of the crowd and Mandite in the corner. Instead of staring at the wall, I went to look at Mandite, who had closed his eyes so that no one would see the luminescent yellow. When is he going to give the signal? My paws fidgeted.

"Here is the Cinder!" I heard the lady say at last. I could barely see her, but I saw the hand, holding a handful reddish gold dust, sparkling in the light like shattered crystal. It definitely looked sacred for ashes.

"With the application of this Cinder," the lady said, her hand disappearing from view, "the two souls shall swear to oath and be Marked."

"Zhoke, the blaziken, my loyal and trusting pokemon," the voice continued, "do you swear to your Mark, swear to your fire, swear to your heart that you would forever be the mate of this young lucario? Do you swear that this Mark will never be subject to vainity?"

"Do you swear?" There was a moment of silence, as everyone held their breath.

"I solemnly swear," Zhoke's deep voice rumbled out, and the crowd murmured with approval. I narrowed my eyes, biting my tongue.

"Take some Cinder, and Mark your dominant claw," I heard the rustling of feathers as Zhoke did as he was told. My heart pounded, threatening to tear out from my chest – Aurora was next. When is Mandite going to give the signal? I watched him impatiently, but the little warrior seemed to have fallen asleep.

"Aurora, the lucario," the woman turned her attention to the wild, female lucario, "do you swear to your Mark," Visions began to flash before me of our past years together.

"Swear to your aura," I was with the female, dipping our paws together along the smooth surface of the ocean, watching her smile with wonder.

"Swear to your heart that you would forever be the mate of this young blaziken?" I saw the female turn around in my mind's eye, grinning broadly, overcoming her fear of water. We had been laughing, mesmerized by the multitude of flashing marine pokemon, stunned by the ocean's beauty.

"Do you swear that this Mark will never be subject to vainity?" It was sunset within the boundaries of my thought, the sky painted with the many beautiful colors. Picture perfect. The sea crashed upon the shore, as I watched Aurora trace little figures on the surface of the sparkling water.

"Do you swear?" I felt warmth against my cheek, as Aurora had kissed me. I was trembling, a tear slipping down my cheek, looking out to Mandite. His eyes were still closed, his body motionless. My heart pounded, my head throbbed. Seconds were slowly ticking by, as the world waited for Aurora to swear.

In the dark corner, two yellow eyes flashed open.

"I..." I heard her gentle voice falter.

**"YIPEE-KI-YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"** I heard Mandite scream on the top of his lungs, causing humans to clasp their hands to their ears.

A split second later, I saw the door burst open, splinters flying out into the crowd as an absol sailed through the opening, landing on the carpet firmly on all fours. Then he ran forth in leaps and prances, growling loudly, baring his teeth and snarling. He tossed his dignified scythed head about, making sure everyone had a good look at him. Dhenalix tore the carpet as he bounded towards the stage, breathing heavily. I stood up, holding my breath tight.

It was Darkrai's turn. Dhenalix ruffled his great, white mane, pawing the ground, and before craning his neck back to call out.

"There is a danger among us, my fellow pokemon and humans," I heard Darkrai call out with a ragged, hoarse, deep tone, like the wind was whistling ghastly through the crevices of the Scarred Lands. It sounded as though no life filled the voice – it was empty and hollow, like a skull, with wispy strands of dust. The voice turned my very insides cold.

"The danger is beneath our very feet!" the voice groaned, like a prisoner wailing out to bystanders, their eyes gaunt, reaching a hand to grab at your throat. I have never seen anything like that before, but the power of Darkrai's aura made that all possible. I shuddered, wishing that this would pass quickly.

"This old building," Darkrai continued to rasp, as Dhenalix acted out, pacing and stomping the ground, "was built on a cemetery, the final resting places of the dead. But they were forgotten, so their tombs have been destroyed and paved over by these cursed stones!" From where I stood, I could see the crowd not moving a muscle, their eyes wide with terror.

"I can hear them, I can hear them!" Darkrai wailed, his voice gasping and choking, "I hear their spirits stirring in the ground – yes this building is cursed with a terrible fate. Cursed I tell you!"

"So many years ago, the spirits rose from their earthen beds, moaning and groaning as they went. There were people in this building, yes." Darkrai paused for a dramatic effect, the fire casting long shadows along the walls. Somehow the other lights went out. Dhenalix stood over a jar of flame, so that light cast upwards on his expressionless, wide-eyed face.

"I saw them, I heard them, their long dead teeth gnashing, and their long dead lungs screaming. I saw their ghostly hands, so long and spidery, grab hold of the living, pulling them down to the ground." the Legendary went on, "Those spirits grabbed them, and pulled them! And slowly and agonizingly, those spidery hands, so long dead, began to tear away at their skins." My stomach churned from those words, with the help of Darkrai's aura envisioning that horrific scene. Then, inside the room, the wood structures began to creak and groan. The wind was blowing hard outside.

"Those spirits tore the flesh apart from their skins, and laid them to dry all over this town, before feasting on the carcasses." Darkrai rasped, his voice devoid of any life, "No one lived – except for me. I got out of the building in time."

"Legends tell that this phenomenon, this mystery happens one the same day every century since the cemetery was built over," the Legendary continued, "I witnessed this in this very same spot a hundred years ago from today." With the looks on the people's faces, I could tell that they knew what the story was coming to. Some looked ready to dash out of their chairs to save themselves.

"I hear them coming! I hear them! I hear them!" Dhenalix raised his head and jumped, swooning from side to side, as the wind shrieked outside, "Run fools! Run my brethren! RUN!!!" But the crowd didn't need anyone telling them to run. All rose, screaming, and heading for any door that lead them out of them building. I decided I would step out from my hiding place to look for Aurora. Amidst the stampede of human and pokemon alike, I saw the lone, female figure, standing wide eyed.

"Aurora!" I heard a male blaziken call out to her. Zhoke's pokemon trainer took out a pokeball, and Zhoke disappeared in red light, before she hurried away, without looking back. A tear slipped down her cheek. She had been forgotten.

The room had been vacated in ten seconds. Considering the lack of large doors and the huge population of people forcing themselves through them, that was a mighty impressive record. The only ones left, however, were Dhenalix, Darkrai, Mandite and I. And Aurora, who was knelt on the floor, sobbing. I watched the bent figure shake, feeling guilty – I ruined her special moment. Despite the whole story, and how moving it was, Aurora made no movement to get up. She stayed, kneeling, and crying.

Slowly, I walked towards her, my movements careful. I came upon her back, and she still didn't notice anything else. My paws were shaking from anxiety, wondering what I should do now.

"Aurora?" I found my voice. Her drooping ears pricked up, and the female turned around, her eyes filled with disbelief. I gazed steadily back at her.

"Lucario..." she said, standing up and shaking, "There are spirits... They'll..." But then she noticed Mandite and Dhenalix, standing up on the stage, looking down on the ground – now she understood why I didn't run. Suddenly, her expression hardened, and I began to feel pulses of fury run through me, threatening to knock me over. But I stood, knowing I deserved it.

"Lucario!" she cried angrily, "I can't believe that you... You and the rest of them would do such a thing!" I hung my head, not meeting her eyes.

"Why Lucario, why?!" Aurora shouted, the rage in her emotions becoming so powerful that it shook the loose furniture around us. I stood still, wondering what to say now.

"Even if there was spirits that would eat us alive," I said quietly, as she breathed heavily, "I would make sure you would leave on time... Before me." I felt the anger pulses stop, to my relief. I swear it could have torn me in half and shatter my bones. Aurora stepped closer to me, peering at me with her eyes flickering with lively fire – I looked away from her.

"Why would you say that?" she asked. Not feeling ready, I looked to Mandite.

"Mandite has something to give you from Dialga," I said, and Aurora turned around with a surprised look on her face. The warrior had stepped forth, pulling a scroll of yellowing paper from his backpack. Solemnly, he held it out to the female lucario. Aurora reached out, and took it from him.

"Wherever" your life takes you," Mandite explained, "there will be a time when you must leave, and fulfill your part in this prophecy. Keep it safe, and remember." Aurora blinked, staring at the rolled paper within her paws.

"Thank you," she thanked him quietly, and Mandite nodded. Then, turning to Dhenalix, he said,

"The people will be wondering why aren't the spirits screaming," then, running out of the room with the absol following close behind, "Let's go holler! You too, Anonymous-Dark-Spot-On-The-Floor!" Darkrai moved into the next room, as Mandite began to scream wildly. I watched them go, alone with Aurora. I turned to her.

"Why aren't you going with them?" she asked, holding the prophecy to her body, "You're done here, right?" Did she want me to go? Or was she expecting something else from me? I took my chance.

"Aurora, I have to talk to you," I said, placing my paws on her arms, gazing into her eyes, "and I understand if... I can't explain now, but you'll know what I mean." Aurora's fire dancing eyes, skipping over a bubbling magenta brook, stared at me with solemnity. She bobbed her head. My heart began to pound, knowing that this time the truth will come out from me.

"Couldn't you have talked to me about this earlier?" she asked, and I sighed.

"No, not in front of Zhoke," I told her patiently, and her eyebrows rose "so I'm telling you this right now – it's really important to me that you must know." Aurora blinked, tilting her head to the side.

"Aurora," I began, trying to keep calm like I was in thai chi, "have you ever wondered why I was so grumpy and annoyed when we were younger?" The eyes on the female lit up, and she smiled.

"I remember you used to scold me for everything," she said, giggling a bit, "but yes – why were you always like that?" I breathed deeply, ready for Aurora to break down with my next sentences.

"You were really irritating to me back then – you were always asking this and that, not leaving a moment's peace with me. I was so sick of you by the end of the first day, and I wished that you would just go away." I spoke truthfully, "I didn't understand that there was no one else that had answered these questions for you, so I was annoyed greatly by them."

"I wanted you gone, because you were difficult to handle," I continued, not glancing at Aurora, afraid to see her expression, "You were too wild and playful, and got into so much trouble. I didn't want that extreme responsibility to take care of you. Again, I wished that you would just disappear." I closed my mouth, unable to say more on the subject, waiting for Aurora to break down, or become angry. It was silent, except for our breathing, and Mandite and his crew screaming outside this room. I braced myself for the two options.

Instead, Aurora asked,

"But you changed," I looked up at her, to see that she was looking back at me, her eyes flickering and dancing, bubbling and rippling. Fire and water, together in one being, colored a beautiful hue of various degrees of magenta.

"I changed because I loved your eyes," I said, slowly and calmly, "and I began to realize your eyes were beautiful, and you were beautiful. I realized that I had thought wrong about you after so many years." I breathed in.

"Aurora, back then, I wanted you to leave," I said, beginning to loose my strength, "But now, I can't let you go." I looked into her eyes, which were wide with surprise. Shaking, I drew in a breath, summoning the rest of my courage.

"I love you," And I closed my eyes and turned away, shaking. I had done it. It was time to leave. My legs, moving automatically, headed towards the door. I had said it.

But something caught my arm. Slowly opening my eyes, I turned around. Aurora was holding my arm, tears falling from her stunning eyes, the ones that I fell in love with so long ago.

"Lucario, do you honestly mean it?" she asked, her breathing becoming shaky, "Do you really love me?" I blinked, wondering why she was asking this.

"I meant everything I have told you," I said softly, "I would die for you, and I would make sure you would be safe, because I do love you. I honestly love you." The female lucario let go of my arm, and stared at me for a while, tears running down her face.

"You mean that the female you told me about that you loved was me?" she asked, her voice on the verge of breaking into a sob, "Was she really me all along?" Unable to speak anymore, I nodded somberly, gazing at her. She stared back, tears silently trickling down her cheeks, her eyes swirling with mixed emotions. I didn't know what to think now – the many long months in which I held my secret had finally been told. The anxiety was over, the wait was over. It was all over – everything.

At least the secret was over. To my surprise, Aurora rushed up to me, and threw her arms around my neck, crying hard into my fur. Gingerly, I wrapped mine over her body, not knowing if this was really a loving gesture or not.

"I'm sorry Lucario!" Aurora's pained voice was muffled by my fur, "I'm sorry!" She removed her damp face from my chest, her eyes shimmering with her tears. She leaned up, and rubbed her cheek against mine, giving me kisses all the while.

"I love you too," she whispered, holding me tightly, "please forgive me, Lucario. I love you too; I love you." At this point, I couldn't believe that I was actually hearing these words from her. I never expected it, but I embraced it with absolute delight and joy, as I held her full-heartedly, rocking my lover side to side at a gentle rhythm.

"There's nothing to forgive," I murmured, laying my head on hers, brushing the back of it tenderly, "Love is an interesting and complex game – just as long as I'm with you now there is nothing needed to be forgiven." Aurora finally was quieting down, resting her head underneath my jaw. I rubbed my cheek on the top of her head affectionately.

"I'm sorry that it took me this long to realize this," Aurora apologized, "You were the perfect guy, and you had been right under my nose all along. I wished I realized it sooner." I thought for a moment, and then bent my head to kiss her on the cheek.

"But we're together now, and we have all the time we want," I thought some more. How are we going to deal with Zhoke and his trainer now?

"Aurora?"

"Yes?"

"If I found a place where we could live together," I said, fidgeting, "would you come with me?" Aurora lifted her head, her eyes sparkling.

"I would follow you to the ends of this world," she laughed, finding my question silly, "but I would, Lucario – as I have for the last nine years." I smiled warmly, my heart cooing with the delight, finally having the heart of my love tucked gently under its wing. This warm feeling felt so strange, so light that I felt I was floating in mid air. But I relished it. I began to think about what Aurora had said earlier, about wishing she had realized her love for me sooner.

"You said something about wanting to love me sooner, right?" I asked her.

"Mm-hmm... Why?"

"Well, I was kind of glad you didn't," I admitted. Aurora raised an eyebrow.

"Why?" and I blushed.

"Uh... There's -"

"AURORA AND LUCARIO SITTIN' IN A TREE!" A childish voice crowed as the chanter entered the room, "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Mandite grinned at us, his backpack on top of his head, perhaps filled with spoils from the buffet table. Dhenalix peered in from behind the whole he had created in the door, smiling as he saw us together. Aurora turned to me.

"There's Mandite?" she asked, finishing my statement.

"Exactly," I said, smiling as I gave her a final kiss on the top of her head before letting go.

"Let's skedaddle guys," Mandite piped up, skipping away down a corridor, "I just about hollered myself hoarse!" Grinning at each other, the two of us – Aurora and I – followed him, breaking into our new future together.

At last.

* * *

**Three cheers for Lucario... And the sucky author! ^^;**


	27. Chapter 27

Nobody knew what had happened to Zhoke's mate-to-be, as the shivering crowd milled about, chilled by the cold, sharp air and the wailing and screaming from inside the building. They had tried looking for her, but she was not to be found. So, they concluded that she had been in the building when the spirits rose out from their tombs, and was done for. Not that she cared. We were having great difficulty trying to stifle Mandite's laughter as our group hurried away into the safety of the forest.

Once we were far away from the little town, only then we allowed Mandite to break out into great, barks of laughter, rolling around on the floor with tears coming from his eyes. We stopped, catching our breaths, watching the hysterical child.

"DID YOU SEE THEIR FACES?!" Mandite cried, flapping his wings in berserk, jerky motions. Darkrai, who said that he would accompany us until nightfall, chuckled.

"I have to admit that's quite an accomplishment," he said in his quiet voice, the amused tone thankfully much different from his earlier one, "I have to hand it to the absol, though. I was in the floor." Dhenalix bowed his head graciously.

"Thank you," he said kindly, "but you were the one who made up the story – I was about to jump out of my pelt!" Darkrai only shrugged.

"It was nothing, really," At first, Aurora had been extremely frightened of Darkrai, only knowing him as the notorious, nightmare pokemon full of evil thoughts. Now, however, seeing the Legendary humbly and pleasantly converse with Mandite and Dhenalix, she relaxed her tight grip on my arm. Darkrai was a surprisingly kind and thoughtful pokemon, despite what stories tell of him.

"I couldn't believe there was actually a cemetery," Mandite exclaimed, "I thought you were only bluffing!" Darkrai whipped around to look at Mandite with a genuinely surprised expression on his face. Mandite stared back, confused. Seeing the two of them looking at each other with direct eye contact made me wonder something – how is Mandite able to bear the power of Darkrai's aura without breaking down into fear? The reason could be supernatural, or purely of Mandite-like behavior and standard.

"How did you find out?" the Legendary asked him slowly, "It's one of Sinnoh's best kept secrets, and you found it – how?" Mandite glanced at Dhenalix, raising a nonexistent eyebrow.

"Dhenalix over there kinda bashed the doorknob off a locked door," Mandite said, jerking his hand towards the absol, "and then we saw a bunch of crumbling tombs in a stinky, dark room." Aurora pricked her ears up, realizing something.

"No wonder I smelled something odd," she remarked, leaning back into me. I wrapped my arms over her, resting against a tree. Darkrai held a smoky hand to his head, brushing the white plume coming off of it, his eyes closed.

"That's bad..." he muttered, starting to float back and forth in a pacing motion, "But I should have known... Giratina would do something like that." The rest of us stared at him, wondering what he could mean.

"What do you mean by 'bad', sir?" Mandite asked. Darkrai opened his eyes and gave Mandite a look – I suppose he wasn't used to being addressed that way.

"Oh, it's not too terribly bad," he said, assuring us, "I mean bad, as not good for the public to see." We all nodded – except for Mandite. He had more questions to ask.

"What group of people – or pokemon are buried there?" By the time the little warrior finished the question, Darkrai's expression grew sober. Silence weighed heavily on our shoulders, with the wind blowing through the leafy canopy overhead as the only sound remaining in the area until the Legendary spoke again.

"Those are the tombs of the monarchs that once ruled during a time before people ever existed in this world," he said wearily, "We wanted to keep their resting places safe from outside harm – for they were great rulers – so Giratina placed a seal over them, so the tombs wouldn't be disturbed for all eternity. However, Giratina said that the dead shouldn't be cooped up like that, so he relieved the seal slightly."

"Now, humans had arrived and destroyed whatever the seal did not protect, and built their splendid building over it. However, Mesprit, Azelf, and Uxie came while the building was under construction and did some construction of their own. They built a fully developed and finished wall with doors leading into the ruins, locked under a special power."

"Why did they put doors?" Dhenalix asked, relieving us of the duty to orally inquire about the same thing.

"It's symbolical," Darkrai said, nodding, "When the last pokemon monarchs were overthrown, they were put in dungeon without any doors due to their rebellious behavior against the humans. Dialga found about this – he's a good friend to the royal family – and he destroyed the fortress that held them in. But he arrived to late. He had their bodies carried to the cemetery behind us, where the family's burial grounds were, and buried them too. Their child was brought, too, to be buried beside his mother. At first, since Dialga never wanted the family to be ever trapped in a dungeon again, so the tombs were left in open air."

"And then," Darkrai said, continuing with the sorrowful tale, "the humans came and built over it. Still wanting to protect what was left of the burial sight, Dialga had the three Legendaries built a separate chamber, but with doors. Dialga couldn't bear for them to be eternally resting in an environment similar to the one the last family had died in." Darkrai paused, allowing the mournful story to sink in, before continuing.

"The doors had been sealed off and locked," he said, "but I guess it was only the locking mechanisms in the doorknobs, and the wood that made the doors. I must tell Azelf to go and replace that doorknob, and strengthen the rest." Darkrai hovered higher in altitude, looking down at us.

"I'm sorry that I must leave so hastily," he apologized, "but I must." And he flew off into a wide, golden sky as the afternoon faded towards evening. The four of us were quiet, thinking about the sad story with heavy hearts. It wasn't until a while when someone brightened the atmosphere.

"At least breaking in saved our behinds from being fried," Mandite said, and Dhenalix and I chuckled. Aurora, of course, didn't understand what we meant by this. If we didn't get in through that door, there would be fiery confrontation between us and Zhoke – literally.

"Hey guys," Mandite said, with the hint of suggestion, "why don't we have a little ceremony of our own?" I found myself feeling warm in the face – I could see Aurora turning red as well. Although we were very much delighted that we were together with the knowledge of knowing we love one another, we never thought of becoming mates – just yet. I mean, it was only earlier today when I confessed my love. Dhenalix noticed our bashfulness and shot Mandite a crimson glare.

"They are not of age yet," the absol said. Mandite exhaled sharply.

"I wasn't talking about a ceremony for _them_," he snapped, "they can do their own little lovey-dovey doo-da one their own time. But right now, it's time to party!" Mandite grinned happily. I raised an eyebrow, wondering what this special occasion could be.

"Why?" I asked.

"'Cuz I have MARSHMALLOWS!" the little warrior beamed, raising a plastic bag full of white poofs from his backpack in a triumphant manner. I should have known it had something to do with food.

But who was I to complain? It wasn't before long when all four of us were happily indulging ourselves with the sticky sweetness, sitting before a flickering fire that seemed to reflect Aurora's own. As for the moment, Aurora was having trouble toasting her marshmallow, so, with an arm wrapped around her, I made one for her. It's funny how we don't feel so awkward when we are that close – I guess our close comfort was built over the many years we have been together. We were meant to be together after all, I thought with an air of satisfaction, taking the marshmallow from the fire and holding it towards Aurora. Mandite sat on the other side, a marshmallow speared on each of the prongs of his mushroom-turned-marshmallow toaster, the ever so feared Galaxia. But it helps to feed the monstrous appetite of its wielder. His eyes shone brightly, watching us.

"Aw, just look at them," Mandite said in sappy voice to Dhenalix, who chuckled, "don't they just look so precious?"

"Oh be quiet and eat your marshmallows," Aurora shushed.

~*~

Mandite finally admitted that he didn't know where he was going, which was a first for us. He always had lead us in the right way – even if there were detours, we still got to the place we needed to be. This time, however, Mandite did not know where the portal was. He felt it was now time to go home.

Dhenalix, who said he will swiftly take us there, and leave as soon as possible, lead the way. He had an egg to see – he even had the feeling his new child was already waiting for him without its eggshell helmet.

"You heard the man," Mandite hollered to Aurora and I, "no kadoodling and getting behind, because this time we're gonna leave you behind if you do!" Kadoodling was the term he he used for "affectionate behavior beyond friendship". And Mandite was rather picky with this kadoodling business, snapping at us when we were behind only ten feet. So we hurried along behind them, Dhenalix in the lead, anxious to get back to his family, Mandite following to get home. We had a new kind of life ahead of us, and was in no hurry with it – except for this final leg of the journey. As I ran along, I thought about it: the _final _leg of the journey. I couldn't believe that the whole thing, the life we had lived for these long months was closing. It has been so long ago since I had dealt with the simple nomadic life with Aurora, only taking our share in small adventures. Now, I am used to taking a journey to a grander scale. What kind of life will we, Aurora and I, lead once Mandite is gone? What will we do then? What new things will await us?

"Catch up, you whippersnappers!" Mandite yelled back, disappearing beyond a bend. The forest environment, as I so saw, was fading back into a coastal ecosystem. The soil beneath our feet became less and less rich as we raced over them, and the vegetation shrunk from towering trees down to dune grass, and mangroves. I started to hear the pounding rhythm of the ocean, and the smell of its soft sighs, a sweet tang in the air. This was all passing by so fast – I knew it would soon come time to say good bye. Somehow, I wished this would slow down, and stretch on until I can be comfortable with saying my farewells to the little warrior I had befriended. Oh how so long ago it was when we saw him fall from the sky and land in the bush. That was the day I first started to appreciate to loveliness of Aurora's eyes, which continued to shine as she ran beside me. So much time had passed without us noticing, so many emotions and funny moments, epiphanies and surprises. Now that was coming to an end, sadly. I was going to miss that kid.

Dhenalix's pace slowed down to a trot as we cam upon a mangrove system. The knobbly, interlocking roots of the trees sticking a foot above the ground were intertwined and sprawled everywhere. It was an unusual concentration of these trees, their low hanging branches blocking my view ahead with their bright, broad leaves. I got stuck several times, my foot slipping into the occasional hole within the root system. Dhenalix wound his lithe body around misshapen trunks and deftly placed his paws on sturdy roots. Mandite simply followed, randomly tripping as he went. Holding Aurora's hand, I helped her through the delicate trail within the grove.

The grove became thicker and thicker as we got deeper inside so that it soon became difficult to squeeze our bodies through. Mandite, with his stout height, just took to the higher parts of the grove, within the branches where they spread a little more graciously.

"We're here," Dhenalix finally gasped, his voice strained as he slid through the final slot and he was free. Aurora squeezed through, followed by me with some difficulty, since the slot wasn't exactly agreeing with my height. My feet landed upon open ground, a mix of sand and soil. I had a feeling we were in higher elevation, upon a hill that overlooked the sea. I gazed out at it, my eyes scanning the vastness of it for nothing in particular. It was an old habit of mine to look across the ocean.

"Here is your portal," Dhenalix said as Mandite swung in from the branches. The warrior landed, spraying sand. Half buried in it was a golden, hexagonal frame with a soft blue membrane that swirled like the patterns upon a bubble, stretching from side to side. Beyond that membrane, I looked upon more sand, and yet another ocean from another world. It looked the same, but I knew it was different. I glanced up at Mandite, looking for the expression on his face. That was difficult right now, for he was wearing his mask, but would his eyes change color?

Instead, I found him staring out into the distance behind the portal. Stretching before us was the boundary of the Scarred Lands, the sun reflecting brightly from the white stone.

"We were that close..." Mandite sighed, "And yet I didn't notice." Dhenalix padded up next to him, his paw steps soft on the ground.

"And some ways that direction is my home," he said. Then, turning around, he bowed to all three of us. Mandite still looked off into the distance.

"Stay with me," he said, still staring. The absol looked up, his face pinched in confusion, crimson eyes flashing. Without warning, there was a hissing sound, and the translucency of the membrane in the portal slid into a thick sheet of robin egg blue, opaque and sealed.

"Why?" the absol cried, stunned. Aurora had looked up and gasped. Mandite drew Galaxia out from the backpack he had dumped on the ground, blinding us with the bright light before I saw the dark silhouette lunge forth. Dhenalix crouched low, a wave of gusting wind and sand blowing in our direction. Instinctively, I reached for Aurora, wrapping my arms around her protectively, pressing her face into my fur, turning away from the blast. Gritty sand and gravel brushed passed me before I felt the air around me fill with heat and dust, becoming still. Cautiously, I looked up, still holding Aurora to me, my eyes blinking from the dust. I still saw the portal gleaming in the dust, and Dhenalix crouched beside it. Beyond, there was a short shadow, the cape of Mandite billowing in the hot wind, and another more massive, bulky, and powerful figure with characteristically long, cruel claws protruding from its paws. Something flashed before me – a vision of a muscular, marred, raging monster cackling as he used lifted a firearm, a loud bang echoing. My eyes widened, with a dreadful feeling erupting in my stomach.

"Keep away!" I heard Mandite yell to the offender. A loud, rumbling growl came from the beast.

"Sorry, knight!" Bruno snarled, "I've got business to do." Aurora shook within my hold, looking up at me with fearful eyes, ears drawn back.

"What is that?" she whimpered. I looked back to Bruno, the murder of her parents.

"He's Bruno," I said softly, "let Mandite deal with him alone – it's best not to interfere." I knew full too well what can happen when someone tries to help. A second person only becomes a bargaining chip for Bruno to get to his biggest threat. Out in the corner of my eye, I saw Dhenalix creep towards the two.

"Dhenalix!" I hissed, "stay here!" Aurora gave me a sharp look.

"What's gotten into you?" she asked, "We have to help Mandite!" My eyes widening, knowing what might happen if we tried. I wanted to help, I honestly did, but after seeing the warning Giratina gave me, I knew it would only cause trouble. They didn't understand at all. How could I explain?

"Aurora, listen to me!" I cried desperately, "He's beyond any danger we have faced – he's a merciless killer, don't go!"

"Keep back guys!" Mandite called out to us again, "Let me deal with this – get Darkrai or somebody!" But what did the other two do? They ran forth, escaping from my pleas and calls untouched, claws drawn, aura flaring. I chased after them, wanting to protect the two from the danger they had no idea of. The dust began to settle around our feet, the air becoming clear, and I saw Bruno's mangled head turn around, his mouth curling into an evil grin. Deja vu... No...

"Bruno!" Mandite cried, getting the beast's attention, "come here and fight me one on one, man to man!" Bruno growled, flicking his paws so that they lit up with the indigo hued electricity, the energy zapping across each sickly curved sickle.

"What?!" Mandite taunted circling his prey, "Too scared, big guy? Huh?" This taunting and circling with calm precision mirrored the skill of his uncle from my dream. Dhenalix and Aurora were right behind him.

I knew Bruno could turn around and slash them with the blink of an eye. Aurora came upon him, one paw enforced with blades of steel, the other flared with bright, blue aura. Dhenalix lunged with his scythe white hot. Mandite's eyes widened, seeing the two so close, and dashed forth, Galaxia raised, the golden blade catching the luminosity of the sun.

Bruno, seeing the warrior attack so quickly, whirled around, and slashed at Aurora with his peculiar electric studded claws. Aurora deftly met them with hers, but the electricity crawled up her arm on contact. She cried out, dropping to the ground. Smiling cruelly, the beast turned to Dhenalix, his sinewy muscles rippling under his fur, but his claws met the gold blade, Mandite jumping in the way of Dhenalix just on time, his eyes flashing dangerously. He flipped the sword to the side so that Bruno's arms were flung aside, and he used the hilt to slam the brute in the jaw, the momentum flinging the offender back and away from us. Mandite feet touched briefly on the sandy floor before leaping again, his sword raised high. Metallic clangs and slices filled the air, as the two combatants dueled in the sand, the sun high over the fight.

I hurried over to Aurora, who was curled upon the ground, clutching her hurt arm. Kneeling down, I gently turned her so that her face looked up at me, and her arm was revealed. Black marks that stained the paths of the electricity were webbed all over her fur, and it felt colder than ice. Aurora gasped, tears coming from her eyes.

"I told you to listen!" I hissed, before holding her tightly, relieved that she was still alive. But who knew what this new electricity could do to her. I felt her hot tears on my fur, her chest heaving as she gasped for breath.

"I've got to get Dhenalix before something terrible happens to him, too," I said kissing her on the forehead, "stay low and still, like you're dead – keep safe. I love you." I released her, and she dropped, seemingly lifeless – as promised. Giving her one last glance, I ran off to get the absol.

Mandite, like Uncle Tally, was flipping, jumping, turning, parrying in lighting quick movements, dancing all around Bruno, who had to turn to protect himself from the attack, just to be slashed on the back, or across the legs. Dhenalix swung his head, and white crescents flew from his scythe, aimed for Bruno. The brute rolled to the side just in time, and the crescents collided into the ground, knocking sand sky high into the air, clouding vision. Bruno was either hindered now, or advanced, like an assassin in the mist. I had a bad feeling that the beast was lurking now, ready to strike the back of the absol, his new target.

"Oh no you don't!" I heard Mandite shout, his keen eyes easily spotting Bruno. He flung forward, and Bruno sidestepped, so that Mandite jabbed air in front of him. Claws came plunging down, flaring with the dangerous electricity. Was it the end for Mandite? I kept running forward.

Mandite's eyes flicked upward, seeing the claws, and swiftly kicked Bruno's shins with his metallic, pointed, armored shoes. Bruno fell back, roaring in pain. Taking the opportunity while his enemy was down, and was ready to strike a deep blow. Fortunately for the beast, Bruno caught himself, and did some sort of cartwheel to the side, and slashed at Mandite. The warrior rolled down to the ground in a forward roll before jumping over backwards as Bruno jabbed underneath. Closing his eyes, Mandite pulled the his fluttering cape around him.

In a flash of light, he disappeared, reappearing in mid air behind Bruno's head, Mandite slammed the hilt of Galaxia into the back of it. Bruno flew forward, and falling and dragging his face in the sand. Behind him, the warrior landed, his breathing even and calm, watching the downed prey warily. Dhenalix approached cautiously, ready spring at moment's notice. I kept my distance behind him.

"Dhenalix! Get back here!" I hissed at the absol. The absol still crept closer, wondering if Bruno was unconscious.

"It's a trick Dhenalix get back!" Mandite cried and in a urge of faith, threw Galaxia at a blinding speed. At the same time, Bruno rolled over, pulling a shining black gun from his belt and fired, a loud bang echoing in the air. In a second, the golden blade's sharp edge sliced through the firearm, the metal splitting cleanly in two, ripping the now dead weapon from Bruno's grasp. The blade sank into the sand, the pieces of the gun landing beside it.

But metal wasn't the only thing that sank to the ground. I saw Dhenalix's white figure stand extremely still, before crumbling suddenly, collapsing down with a plume of dust. My blood froze in my veins, not believing what had just happened. Bruno, grunting but with a smile plastered sickly on his face, raised to his feet.

"What are you going to do now?" he smirked, holding up his claws, brightening with the indigo electricity. Mandite stood firm in front of Dhenalix's fallen body defiantly.

Orange spheres of light came rocketing from the sky and slammed into the ground one after another in a line, throwing up sand, rock, dirt, and dust. In the next moment, the grit was whirled into a great storm, the corrosive material slamming into my body with a frightening force. I ducked, listening to a thrumming noise just barely heard above the wind.

Bruno roared. Mandite held Dhenalix to the ground, his cape flapping violently in the wind, threatening to tear away. A dark, diamond winged figure landed in between me and them, the thrumming singing strongly.

"Mandite!" I heard a raspy, gritty voice call out, "Can you hear me?!"

"Tyyakkuvh!" Mandite yelled back over the noise, "Dhenalix's hurt!"

"Help has come!" From the sky, a speeding, pale purple, sinewy figure cleared away the dust with a wave of two arms. The floating pokemon, his eyes glowing bright blue from telekinesis flew forward, arm stretched out, pointing at Bruno. The beast slammed into a nearby rock formation, splits running all around the stony surface from the powerful psychic force. As the creature fell, a small, dark sphere flew towards him from the side. Upon contact, the dark ball expanded, enveloping the body in its translucent, shadow skin, before shrinking into Bruno's fur. Bruno collapsed on the ground. The caster came into view from behind a tree, his bright blue eyes solemnly looking over us, his smoky gray form casting a dark shadow upon the ground. The second pokemon flew over next to Darkrai, his blue eyes fading back to a soft shade of lilac. I had seen a Legendary flick her tail from side to side like that before, but this was a much larger form, and much more strongly built. He clenched his oddly deformed paws, the trade mark of his cloning.

I met eyes with Mewtwo, who gazed calmly back. I didn't know what to do – I felt grateful for his intervention, but didn't know how to express it. So I bent my head into some kind of bow, for I was already crouched on the ground.

"Lucario!" I heard a female voice cry. My head snapped to the source of the voice, opening my arms to receive Aurora with a tight grasp, who cried hard into my fur.

"I saw Dhenalix fall," she sobbed. Dhenalix... I didn't get him out in time. Guilt washed over me.

"Lucario!" Mandite called to me, a hand on Dhenalix's snowy side, with Tyyakkuvh craning his neck over the absol, peering at his friend through his red spectacles. Stumbling, I got up, hurrying over to the fallen absol. Darkrai and Mewtwo watched over us, floating with solemn expressions on their faces before turning to look at each other.

"Let's get this _thing_ to Palkia and Dialga," Mewtwo said, his echoic voice filled with obvious disgust, his tail curling in disdain. Darkrai looked over to Bruno's body, with twitched violently from the nightmares he was sending him.

"You can take him, can't you?" the nightmare pokemon said, sighing deeply. Mewtwo nodded, his eyes again lighting up with a bright blue light. The sleeping body hovered carelessly in the air, and Mewtwo turned tail in a graceful swing, flying off with Bruno. Darkrai followed without glancing back. I watched the two go, wondering why they didn't just kill the murderer.

"No... Don't give this to me, Tyyakkuvh," a weak rasp brought my attention to the wounded pokemon. Dhenalix was lying in a tangled heap of snowy white fur, stained dark red, as deeply colored as his eyes. Tyyakkuvh held out an oran berry, urging the absol to eat it. To my great dismay, he shook his scythed head in jerking motions, gasping.

"It's too late... For that... Thank you though..." Dhenalix coughed, and a tinge of leaked from his mouth, smiling wryly. I blinked... Don't tell me he was dying. He couldn't be. It was my fault I couldn't stop him – don't die Dhenalix! The absol's breathing was labored, gritting his teeth from the pain of his wound, the dark liquid gushing from it. It was a direct hit into his heart. Closing his crimson eyes, the absol laugh, coughing in between each breath.

"I should have listened to you in the first place... Lucario," Dhenalix wheezed, "Now my foolishness has paid the price..." I shook my head fiercely, not wanting to believe that he was giving in to death.

"You're going to be all better," I said, shaking, "right Mandite?" The doctor stared glumly back at me.

"There are some things that are irreversible as time itself," he said, with regret hinting his voice, "you can't change it – you just have to let it flow." But... But...

"But what about Lily? And your kid? What about them?" I asked the absol, panic in my voice, "Don't leave them!" Dhenalix opened his eyes, and met mine with the most heart breaking, sorrowful and regretful gazes I have ever saw. And would ever see.

"Oh how... How I wish I could see them," he whispered hoarsely, his energy rapidly leaving him, "Lucario... Can you please tell them I will always love them?" I stared, realizing that not even his family would will him to live. It was too late. I began to shake, and Aurora touched my shoulder gently.

"... Tell Lily that she has been my rose from... From the very beginning," Dhenalix wheezed, struggling to talk, "... And my kid, that I'll... Never... See..."

"I regret... I regret that I can't watch my kid grow up... Even more, I regret that my child... My child would have to live without my love," he continued, straining his voice, "... And I regret I won't be there to help raise the child... With Lily." I stared at the absol, the soulful look in his eyes was dying out, my own eyes watering from grief. Tyyakkuvh, bent over and said,

"I could take you to them right now," Dhenalix's life light seemed to brighten, as hope filled his eyes.

"... You really think... So?" he gasped. Without answering, Tyyakkuvh carefully wrapped his claws around the crippled body of the absol, and rose into the air with a beat of his wings, thrumming with a low, mournful hum.

"... Farewell... All of you." Dhenalix wheezed, giving us one last smile as he flew farther and farther away. The three of us stood. I raised my hand, waving. The last of our good bye's.

"Good bye, Dhenalix,"

"Good bye," Mandite murmured.

"Good bye," Aurora echoed, and began to cry into my fur. I watched the dark figure fly away, sending the best of my wishes for Dhenalix and his family. Mandite walked over to where he had thrown Galaxia, and then headed back to get his backpack, leaving the two of us grieving, holding each other for comfort.

"It wasn't your fault, Lucario," Aurora sniffed, brushing the back of my head. I shook it, trembling.

"It was," I said, shakily. Aurora kissed my cheek, and rubbed hers against mine.

"You tried," she whispered, "He knew you did – it's not your fault."

"It's about time..." a dark, growling voice rumbled from the ground. The two of us glanced up, startled. If that wasn't frightening enough, the sandy floor before us started to erupt with a smoky black substance, a huge, black shadow emerging from the gaping void. The shadow continued to rise, well over our heads, two glowing spots glaring from the top. I stood in front of Aurora protectively, as we watched the towering figure rise even higher. We took some steps back.

The figure finally stopped rising, the shadows condensing into a more definite shape – there was broad, pointed head with two horns crowning it, a vast body in which six mighty legs tapered from. Bands of red light lit up, one by one down the body from the head. Two, crudely shaped, smoky wings unfolded from the sides, as three red spikes on each wing flared with scarlet light.

"Lucario," Aurora whimpered holding my arm tight, shaking from absolute terror, "it's..." The Lord of the Dead threw his head high into the air, emerging from his dark cloak, and roared, his deep growl raising into a piercing call that echoed throughout the land.

Giratina had arrived.

* * *

**WOOHOO! GO GIRATINA! If you never heard Giratina roar as altered form, then go look it up on YouTube. It is my second favorite call from the anime. **

**Sorry to ruin my already not-so-great chapter... I think I did all right... A little... ^^;**

**But let us have a moment of silence for Dhenalix...**


	28. Chapter 28

"Well," Giratina, the shadowy material falling from him like mist from a ice-capped mountain, growls rumbling deep from within as he spoke, "You two look very _lively_." I didn't like the way he said _"lively"_. Trying to appear undaunted by his imposing, threatening gaze, his eyes shining bright red under the darkness of his crown-like growth, I stood in front of Aurora, staring sharply up at him. To my surprise, Giratina began to emit "huh, huh" noises, growls still laid into each breath of noise.

I realized he was laughing – was that a good thing?

"I like you already," The Lord of the Dead chuckled, the sound waves of his voice vibrating through me in a low, deep drone, "But hey, relax – there already has been death of significance today. I don't feel like adding another for today's round-up - yet." I felt my strength falter – Dhenalix. Aurora shook behind me, holding my arm. I began to wonder if Giratina really minded his messenger's death, or would carelessly call for a new one. The tone of his voice didn't sound to impressive to me at all – it almost drawled lazily now that I thought about it. What kind of pokemon was he?

"Giratina?" Aurora whimpered from behind me.

"Speak up girl – I can't hear you!" The Legendary barked, a roar entwined with his speech, causing her to jump and shake violently. I glared at him, disappointed with the way this deity, one that was revered so respectfully by all, he acted.

"Can you stop growling?" I snapped, and realized my mistake. Even though I was starting to become impatient with the pokemon, it is foolish to make them cross – especially when he is the deity of the dead. I was expecting him to bend his thick head down and snap my body in his mighty jaws, and I stood stiffly, preparing for it. However, Giratina merely looked up at the sky, seeming to ponder the question thoughtfully.

"I don't think I could if I tried," he answered sincerely and simply, growls laying underneath. Aurora, who had finally found her voice again, called up to the mighty Giratina.

"What are you going to do about Dhenalix?" she said, conflicted between fear and bravery. Giratina's glowing red eyes flicked in her direction, his facial adornments gleaming in the sun. Aurora shook, and I squeezed her arm to comfort her. As she started to calm down, the deity examined her carefully with his expressionless stare. However, only his eyes revealed any emotion at all, if he had any. They were shining bright and red, that dimmed and lightened in luminosity. A rumble similar to distant thunder echoed from his throat.

"You two are an interesting bunch," he muttered, growling at the same time, "why are you afraid?" I was appalled – he was a _Legendary_, he was a _powerful Legendary_, and he was the _Lord of the Dead._ According to ancient fables, he had the power to end life as we know it whenever he felt like. If that was correct, he could easily sap the life from me quicker than I could blink. And for some reason, he was asking why we were afraid.

"What do you mean by that, Giratina sir?" A voice called out behind me with loudness and clarity. Mandite approached boldly, holding his backpack on his head. Giratina's red eyes flicked down to see the little warrior, and he began to chuckle.

"I've heard stories about you in your world," he remarked good-nature-ly, "You are Mandite – more widely known as _Meta Knight._" I blinked in surprise – Mandite had never mentioned ever holding a special title. I looked to him, and he shyly looked away; he was a child after all, and I suppose he wasn't used to using his famed name.

"Out of all people, I thought you would know why I am surprised by these two's fear of me," the deity rumbled on, "Hasn't any others challenged you with fights, thinking that they could beat you on their first try?" Mandite stared back up at Giratina, his yellow eyes fading into an emerald green.

"Plenty of times," he answered, "but they have a right to not fear me – I'm not that great..." Giratina barked, a soft roar issuing from him causing us to jump – save Mandite.

"Many fear you, and revere you, for you are new," Giratina stated, "But ever since the humans have coincided with trained and leveled pokemon, they have lost that respect for me – for ALL Legendaries alike." The deity's lazy drawl was quickly sharpening with an enraged edge to it. Maybe I had thought wrong about how he was a clumsy, mindless fool of a Legendary. Only Mandite calmly listened, understanding this feeling Giratina had, his frustration.

"I have had many trainers come to me, and attack at me with all they got, thrown Master Balls with all their might, and pull so many tricks in order to attempt encasing me withing their collection," the deity growled angrily, his eyes blazing so that they were almost white from their luminosity, "And it's not just me – everyday every Legendary has been attacked at at least once in the same manner. It's a miracle that all of us have managed to keep in our boat of freedom. If there was any alien species I wanted to exterminate, it's them."

"Humans came in through the portals I have carefully constructed once I had found out there were other worlds and dimensions," Giratina shook his head regretfully, "And that lead to the wilderness's demise. The destruction of many kingdoms of great royal families. In the air, charizards, pidgeots, flygons, dragonite, salamence, staraptors, xatu, skamory, aerodactyls dominated as supreme over all lower air clans; in the sea were kingdoms of milotic, dewgong, lapras, wailords, empoleon, floatzel, vaporeon, kingdra; and on land were some of the greatest of individuals ever to walk on all regions, coming from the foremost and important terrestrial tribes of pokemon - the nidokings and nidoqueens, the ninetale, the arcanine, the rapidash, the flareon, jolteon, umbreon, espeon, leafeon, glaceon, typhlosions, feraligatr, houndooms, stantlers, tyranitars, mightyena, manectrics, luxrays, garchomps, absols, and the lucarios." Giratina closed his eyes, perhaps from sorrow, perhaps thinking about the ancient times when pokemon had ruled.

"Long ago, we had lived in harmony, in peace, in balance, an equilibrium. Even with the many monarchs laying around and Legendaries on top of that, we had been fair and good to all, no matter what kind of pokemon they were." Giratina continued in a wistful, growling tone, "There was mutual respect for one another – no one dared to attack others for many years."

"Of course, like everything except for us old farts, doesn't last for a long time," the deity chuckled, sounding like rolling thunder, "Those centuries was a blip in time for me, as one of the oldest of the Legendaries. I had too soon discovered that there were more worlds with new mysteries and wonders – I was so keen on exploring, as the only one asides Arceus with this dimension-hopping ability. I went, and then kept going back over and over again. At first I had only used temporary slices in the membrane between our world and others, but as I picked out favorite spots, I built permanent portals so I didn't have to use as much energy to create the temporary ones."

"And it cost me the many lives of the great families," Giratina groaned, "Many of the royal bloodline has died out in too many of the families from human invasion. Now, there are only specimens from a few of all the great monarchs – I'm lucky enough to have seen three of them already." The Legendary's eyes glowed keenly, glancing at Aurora.

"I have known Dhenalix, the last of the Greater Absols, and Tyyakkuvh of the Flygons – at least he has a brother. And out of all of these families, after the Code of One, there is a last _lucario royale_." I frowned – I knew the Code of One all too well. It was the code where a lucario family was only permitted one child. Long ago, before the humans ever arrived, a king and queen had many children. But eventually, the queen had died, some say she had too many riolu. No one knows why she could die that way, but the king took it. Grieving for his mate, he passed the Code of One. And ever since, lucarios held that code in honor of the good queen who had passed early in her life. So, I had to agree with Giratina that somehow a lucario of royal descent still lived, since the family only had one child each generation.

"Long ago, no one forgot the Legendaries' leniency – the many powers we possessed and the warnings along with it has died with the ancient world of pokemon." Giratina rumbled, "And now the humans, not knowing of this, are set to capture us – one of these days, we are going to blow our tops and then that will be the end of this world." I have heard stories about these special, rarely known powers. Giratina had one that would take life away in a breath, and Shaymin that would give reap life from death. If Dialga wished too, he could make the time freeze, slow down, or speed up. Palkia could warp entire cities to various points of space, control them, and eliminate them. Darkrai could send the entire world into complete darkness, filling everyone else with perpetual nightmare. Uxie would take away knowledge, Mesprit emotions, and Azelf willpower. The water type Legendaries had the power to drown all of the regions, the fire type to set them aglow, the ground type to rock them to pieces, the electric type to throw storms, the ice type to freeze them, and so many more devastating results right in their own ability. If all of them became tired of humans trying to snare them into their captivity, then the pokemon world would indeed wreak havoc.

"Lucario," Giratina roared, "I would have taken Mandite personally back to his home, where he belongs, but there was much to do – understand?" I gazed up into his eyes, which glowed nearly white. My view of the Legendary completely changed – for all Legendaries. No longer I blamed Giratina for not taking the responsibility with direct force.

"There has been many disturbances throughout all of the worlds that neighbor ours," he explained, his voice growling deeply, "There will be a time when all of our worlds will be under the same threat – that threat has begun already. I had started preparing for this time, by reviving other warriors in other worlds, like the ones on planets called Bryyo and Elysia. At the same time, Mandite had dropped into ours. His time here wasn't supposed to be then, and he needed to escorted back to his homeland before anything too terrible happened."

"All of us are preparing to meet this challenge," the deity promised, "but all this time, we are being struck at by the greedy." The three of us, looking up at the tall, majestic figure, nodded, understanding.

"All humans aren't all bad, right?" Mandite called up to him, "There was a guy called Ivan," Giratina's eyes light up brightly again.

"Yes – people such as Ivan, Cynthia, and the great gym leaders and numerous common pokemon trainers of all regions with kind and knowledgeable souls," he rumbled, "The Legendaries are indebted to them, so we reward those who had been significantly helpful to us – Ivan had once found a hurt Raikou, at the mercy of even a swipe of a standard pokeball. Ivan could have had all of Raikou's power with the flick of a wrist – but what did he do? That boy nursed Raikou to full health, faithfully bringing him oran berries, food, and medical supplies. In return, Raikou granted Ivan the last egg of the Alpha Luxrays, one that had never hatched until it rested in Ivan's gracing arms. So not only Ivan had saved Raikou's freedom, he allowed another cherished life to start – so he is entrusted with Aruku."

"Years before that, a young Cynthia had came across Groudon, and they fought. They fought long and hard – to the point where Groudon had fallen through a great pit, and was stuck in a tight position. Here was another Legendary at mercy – but Cynthia allowed Groudon to go free. In return, she now holds one of the remaining Dominant Garchomp." Giratina nodded, "Yes, we know about these kind of people, and we are grateful that such people do exist."

"Then why don't you kill the ones who nag you?" Mandite asked, "Then people will have that sort of respect so that they won't bother you again?" The Legendary's eyes casted into shadow, and narrowed.

"All of us wish we could," he sighed, "but we made a pact that we would only use our greatest talents for when the time comes – when armies will stretch from world to world, and when all hope has been lost." When armies will stretch from world to world... That sounded like Sir Aaron's war except on a much greater scale, and chills ran up my arms. Aurora shook, and I wrapped an arm around her.

"But you have the power to snuff out life and rally an army of the dead," I said, "couldn't you easily take armies down?" Giratina's eyes only grew darker.

"You haven't seen the superpowers of the other worlds," he hissed ominously, "they have just as much power as I – or even all Legendaries." My blood froze. Something more powerful than all of the Legendaries? But the Legendaries were the utmost powerful thing alive in this world – Giratina could control death, so how could anything be possible greater? I looked to Mandite, who caught my eye. Gazing at me with those luminous, amber orbs, I could tell he knew how I felt.

"Lucario," he said wearily, "it may be hard for you to understand, because you have lived all of your life so far holding the Legendaries as the most powerful beings ever – but there are some things that are... Potentially more dangerous." I looked back and forth between the two, feeling helpless already.

"The war won't fully take place until many years, if I estimate correctly," the little warrior continued, "and we will be ready by then – don't worry." Something in the way how he said it, and the way how he looked at me with a firm gaze, assured me that all was not lost. It gave me confidence for the time in the future, whenever that will come. Aurora too had stopped quivering.

"But what are you going to do about Dhenalix?" Aurora asked, reminding Giratina about his first question. He blinked, the topic rapidly changing from preparing for a great war to the simplicity of a friend's death. Finally, after making sense of the question, the deity bowed his head.

"We will honor him the same way as we have done with all worthy beings," he growled, "Palkia will hang a constellation of him alongside with his fathers and forefathers. You will see him at dusk – his favorite time of day." The rest of us nodded, feeling that was an appropriate way to honor the great absol, hung in the sky so his family could look out and see him every time when the sun goes down. He will be remembered, and his murderer will remain my forever enemy. Which reminded me of something peculiar. When Darkrai and Mewtwo took away his unconscious body, they left him alive instead of killing him.

"Bruno was captured earlier," I pointed out, and the deity nodded.

"So I saw," he agreed.

"But why is he still kept alive?" I asked. Giratina growled, now sounding similar to an earthquake rocking the ground – the sound waves sure did shake it.

"While Bruno was in the pokemon world, he has been making his own little army," the Legendary rumbled darkly, "an army of pokemon and humans. Its not that little actually – there are _hundreds_ of missing pokemon and people, and only Bruno knows where they are. We want him to show us where they are, and THEN I will kill him, like this!" Giratina stretched his thick neck back, opening his mouth. With a jerk forward, a flaming ball of purple substance shot from his throat and crashed into a nearby tree. Immediately, the tree burst into violet flames, withering all the way to the ground, the column of peculiar fire growing smaller. A second later, the fire had died, leaving no trace of the tree. I stared.

"A fire that fuels on life, burning until it has taken all life it engulfs." he growled, "It's one of my secret techniques that I hide from humans today." A fire that kept burning till an organism has completely have been rid of life. I could only imagine how long that violet flame would burn if he had set a forest on fire with it – even more horrible, if he had set a city with it. This frightened me greatly – once you were touched by the flame, you were doomed to die. Pleased with the terrified looks on our faces, Giratina settled back, and growled in content. But that content wasn't to last long.

"Giratina!" a rushed, heavily breathing pokemon zoomed towards us, flying through the air. Giratina raised his crowned head, and frowned, seeing his fellow Legendary.

"Darkrai?" he asked, bewildered. I squinted my eyes, recognized the shadowy profile. Darkrai stopped before Giratina's side, hovering at his head level – there was frustration and panic evident in his eyes. Wasn't he supposed to be with Bruno? What happened?

"Someone attacked us with a pokemon equipped with one of those headbands that increases power by – what was it? Oh, that's right – rage. And Bruno was conscious at the time, so we tried flying away, but..." Darkrai panted, "But we were still followed closely. I tried holding them off, but... Bruno..." Darkrai didn't need to finish the sentence so that we could know what had happened. I already could guess, with a definite sickening feeling striking me in the gut.

"I told you they were getting better," Giratina warned, oblivious to Darkrai's implications, "I told you that the humans are getting better, didn't I? Now that have those hilarious head band crap – you should have punched them off or something!" Darkrai's bright blue eyes glared impatiently at the Lord of the Dead.

"Bruno escaped," he said flatly. Now Giratina heard the depressing message, and he threw his head back in rage, roaring deep from his belly. I held my paws over Aurora's ears, and we cringed, the deafening volume causing the ground beneath our feet to shake. In the distance, I could see an avalanche crash down from the top of a snowy mountain's peak.

"THAT'S THE SECOND TIME, DARKRAI!!!" Giratina continued to roar. Darkrai continued to gaze at him with a miserable expression.

"I know," he acknowledged in a blunt tone. Calming down, the Lord of the Dead swung his great head to look down upon the three of us, still wincing from the pain in our ears – except Mandite, for he lacked them. His red eyes brightened, looking over us.

"I would open that portal over there if Bruno was still in captive and Mandite could go home," he said, growls rumbling from his throat, "but since he is not, I have to let it remain sealed, for the safety of your world, Mandite." The young warrior nodded, shifting the backpack upon his head to a more comfortable position, tapping the side of his mask. I frowned, however. Then, after all these months we find a portal only to be told we couldn't use it. What are we going to do now?

"How is Mandite going to get home?" Aurora inquired. The two Legendaries looked down upon her.

"Go back to the beach beyond Dhenalix's place," Giratina commanded, "Remember? Now go there – I will meet you three and create a temporary portal for Mandite." I nodded, knowing where that such beach was, glad to know that Mandite was going home, but sad at the same time. Darkrai began to float away, knowing he had a job to do.

"Now, I have some business to attend to," Giratina growled, noticing Darkrai's departure, "and if we don't meet under the time of war, then I'll see you in hell." His eyes flashed brightly, almost as if they were smiling at us, as his smoky gray wings started to fold over his massive body, the shadowy material spreading rapidly. Soon, Giratina was wrapped in his own cocoon, which writhed with his body. The wrapping split into three segments on each side, each tipped with a scarlet spike, and unraveled to reveal a long, serpentine, new form of Giratina. Yellow spines protruded from his sides, and his belly was lit with bands of glowing red lights. The armor upon his back clashed together, his body no longer land bound. Giratina lurched forward in his new lithe body, swooping over our heads, turning around in a fancy loop before rocketing up into the sky, disappearing from sight.

I tore my eyes from the blue yonder, and they fixed upon Mandite's yellow ones.

"Well," the young warrior exclaimed, "what are we waiting for?"

* * *

**Although this chapter is stinkiest of all of the ones I have written for this story, I had to put in Giratina's rambling. It is important when coming to understanding my stories' big picture.**

**And someone is probably going to come and shoot me. Yes, I have warped the perspective of Legendary pokemon to that extent, and I like it that way. I feel that they need to be respected more, instead of being captured. And I feel that they must be even more powerful than in the games - otherwise, how can you call them Legendary? **

**Anyways, that's my darned opinion about Legendaries.  
**


	29. Chapter 29

For weeks I had planned for this moment: when Mandite would leave. Sure there has been some changes, considering that this time I wouldn't have to be left alone to fend for myself, but now that it was actually time for the young warrior I had grown to like so much to go home, I found myself not knowing what to say.

We were at the very beach as Giratina had planned to meet us, except we got there earlier than he did. That left us standing in the sand with plenty of time to say our goodbyes. Instead of taking that time to do so, we stood awkwardly, wondering what to say, with only the sound of the waves crashing on shore filling silence's empty jar. It has been a while since Mandite was that speechless. He had taken his armor off, and was staring at us with his jade green eyes; that reminded me of the very first time I saw them. He looked so sweet and harmless then, and he still does – except now I knew better. Aurora coughed slightly, shifting the sand around with her toes. Mandite fiddled with the straps on his backpack, when he finally decided to say something.

"So," he said, drawing out the word, "I have a little something for both of you." The young warrior and friend unzipped his backpack. Curious, Aurora leaned forward to have a closer look, as Mandite pulled out a rectangular object bound by a dark piece of leather. Handing to us, I realized it was a book. I stared at the blank cover, my eyes tracing the various wrinkles that wound all around it. Aurora touched my arm, leaning on my shoulder.

"Well, take a look for crying out loud!" Mandite laughed, finding our quiet state of staring at the cover amusing. Aurora reached out and pulled back the cover. Inside, there was a page that was filled with many, tiny paper rectangles with little inscriptions on them. Feeling some tears moisten my eyes, I realized that these little slips of paper were all of the ones that came from all the fortune cookies we had eaten during our journey. It was rather mundane, but meant so much in sentimental terms.

"When did you get the time to make this?" Aurora asked softly, her stunning eyes glossing over with tears. Mandite gave us a grin and a playful wink.

"At the ceremony building, when we ran out of the room to scream our heads off," he explained with a smile, "So while you two were kadoodling, I got Darkrai to raid the buffet table for me as I sat down and started to paste every little fortune, while I sang."

"Sang?" Aurora laughed, "I thought you were screaming!" I chuckled – there really wasn't much of a difference between screaming and Mandite's singing to tell them apart. Mandite exhaled sharply.

"It was a dreadful song," he thought aloud, "It went like, 'Yo ho ho and a bottle of beer' – or was it rum?" Mandite stared up into the sky, tapping the side of his face as he pondered his own little mystery. Meanwhile, I turned my attention back to the book, with all the little fortunes neatly aligned in columns. I read the first one.

_Good fortune and fame will shape your life in the future ahead._

I suppose this was the fortune cookie that Mandite had first got when I was healing at Solaceon town. If it was Mandite's, I believe that this fortune had already came true, for he was a lucky child to have such great skills that made him famous. The next one down was crumpled, with the ink slightly blurred in places. Aurora giggled, seeing it.

"That's mine!" she remarked happily. True, I remembered, smiling. Mandite had told me she accidentally ate her first fortune cookie, paper and all. Due to its crumpled state, it was too hard for me too read.

The one below that was familiar to me. I remembered, as I was investigating my first fortune cookie with mild curiosity, Mandite had read this one aloud, his mouth somewhat full, his expression perplexed.

_May Jirachi shower you with all your dreams_

I smiled, remembering how Mandite took the expression so literally, as if it had been yesterday. But of course I knew it wasn't yesterday – it definitely did not feel like it had been. Instead, it felt so long ago, ages of the many adventures he had shared with Aurora and I. It had been so long ago, but time had passed so fast – too fast.

Aurora and I continued to read some of the fortunes – some of them them threatening, some of them ironic, some coincidental, and some were simply lame. But all of the slips were there – all of the little treats of sweetness in time, resembled with a tiny slip of paper. I had a feeling that most of them were Mandite's, but I saw several familiar ones, and Aurora pointed out hers with delight. Some of them I like very much for the memories they brought back, and some of them had wise comments worthy of the Legendaries.

_You and your wife will have a long and happy life together. ;_D

Mandite's wide eyed, shocked face came into my mind's view, with him falling off the log he had been sitting on from his reaction. I chuckled, musing over that tiny moment – one of the many moments we had and will cherish.

_Rougher roads wear and create smoother stones._

I found myself agreeing to this one. It was true in both literal and metaphoric senses; but I felt that this had applied to my life over these few months. I took a rougher road by allowing Mandite to stay and taking the responsibility of escorting him home. It certainly had been a rough road, physically and mentally. Now, I felt that I have experience, that the uneventful, sharp and jagged stone that resembled me has been smoothed down after all that had happened now.

"That one was mine," Aurora said, pointing to one of the many slips of paper on the page. When she removed her paw, I squinted and read the tiny words printed on it, scrutinizing.

_Your lover would be forever faithful to you_

And I would. I leaned over and nuzzled Aurora on the cheek affectionately, and she kissed my nose, smiling. I gave Mandite a sideways glance, to see him staring at the ocean, pretending to not notice our passionate expressions. "Kadoodling" made him rather uncomfortable – but he was a kid, after all. They don't know how to appreciate those kinds of things until they get older. I began to wonder, will we see Mandite sometime in the future? Perhaps, when the ominous war Giratina had described to us comes around, we will see him again. But when was that? How many years will have passed from now to then? How old will we be? How will we have changed?

Preparing to leave, Mandite was rummaging around his backpack for his armor and cape, so he was ready to fend off any danger when he got back to his home. Aurora continued to turn the pages, skimming over the pages, sniffling occasionally. However, I peered over the top of the book, watching Mandite with a saddened feeling, as he twisted an arm plate into position. Mandite will change, in some way or another – I will miss his playful, mischievous, capricious, and cunning personality. He was full of contrasting characteristics – feisty and calm, observant and oblivious, hyperactive and solemn, dramatic and uneventful, dignified and mundane – that all came together into one, fantastic package. I will miss how he made every announcement of his hunger momentous, and how he listened carefully to my problems. Not only that, I will miss how he patiently and knowingly gave me feedback. I'll miss how, in tense situations, he would pop an amusing remark that eased the atmosphere. I would miss everything about the little warrior – except his singing. Actually, I would miss that too.

"Watcha lookin' at?" Mandite asked, seeing me watch him, hopping around as he slipped on his metallic, purple shoes, "I know I'm good-looking and you're jealous of that, but indulge yourself with your book, please." I rolled my eyes, amused. Just another thing I would miss about him.

I didn't retort – I simply went back to looking at the book with Aurora, smiling. Cresselia may have said Mandite was lucky to have been found by us, but it was more of us lucky to find him. He wasn't just entertaining to watch and listen to; Mandite was a doctor, and treated us in need. He aided me with my many slices upon my arms from my accidental fall, and the thorn in my foot. He helped Aurora's ankle, and saved her life from slipping away altogether. I am forever in his debt for that.

He defended us from danger selflessly, sometimes from perils too great for us to handle. Bruno could have killed us all, but Mandite had fought for our lives until help came.

Aurora flipped through the book, occasionally finding a tiny message that we found very touching and applying to our relationship in more ways than one. Her muzzle touching beneath my chin, I remembered that there was one thing that made us luckier to have him than all other reasons. When Aurora had left with Zhoke, and I had been furious with the unfortunate twist of events. I would have destroyed many acres of peaceful land, and probably would have been killed if it wasn't for Mandite. His power and familiarity had stopped me in my tracks before more damage was dealt. And once I became sober, he aroused determination and confidence within me so that I would follow him to say good bye to Aurora; that trip eventually lead to the reunion of our original trio. Even more, that event brought Aurora and I together. If I hadn't gone, who knows where I'll be now – perhaps miserable and lonely.

_You will be blessed with genuine friendship and compassion._

I already have. I have Mandite, and I have Aurora. Outside of necessities needed for survival, what else could I need? What else could I ask for? Other than hoping that we will see Mandite soon.

Aurora turned to the last page, to find that it was empty. This emptiness interrupted the flow of our thoughts, our memories, and left the happy ending feeling hanging. If I was correct, Mandite would know about such thing, and wouldn't do that. If anything, he would have taken a sheet of paper and written "The End", or "Finale", or at least something. We both looked up our friend staring back with his piercing, yellow gaze, hands behind his back like he was hiding something. I raised an eyebrow.

"Is there something else?" I asked, and Mandite's eyes flashed a bright blue.

"I said I will be at your wedding – um – bonding ceremony, remember?" he remarked, and I nodded, "You may not think I'm not there, since I am leaving, but always remember that I will ALWAYS be with you." The little warrior said in a cheesy tone, holding his right, gloved hand over a spot a little southwest of his center, closing his eyes. Aurora and I laughed, amused by his little scene, but we knew that the young warrior was right, in a way. We will carry the memories of him, no matter where we go, no matter how old we get.

"But can you draw a little picture of me in the sand or something at your bonding ceremony, so it seems like I'm there?" Mandite asked in a teasing voice. Even if it was a joke, I would take it seriously.

"Sure Mandite," Aurora accepted, "but the problem is that we might have trouble drawing you – I have not seen much artistic skill in the two of us." She then looked to me with her rippling, flickering magenta eyes, smiling. I smiled back, a warm feeling creeping into my heart. I loved the way when she looked at me like that.

"Well," Mandite said, calling our attention back to him again, "if you guys think that neither of you can draw me, then I have a solution to that problem." The warrior brought his hands out from behind his back, revealing a rectangular, shiny piece of paper, with a picture on it. Aurora bent down, taking it from its delicate, white, velvet holder, and gasped. I looked too, and the picture turned out to be one of Mandite, seeming to look up at us happily with his jade green eyes, waving his hand so fast it was a dark, blue blur. Around him was a red carpeted room, with several furniture knocked over carelessly.

"Darkrai took that picture for me as we did our hollerin'," he explained, as we looked back down upon the Mandite in the picture, "you can put that in the empty page at the back of the book." So Mandite had left the back page blank on purpose so that he could present this to us separately, and in doing so created a more pleasing effect – he thought well. The back page had a little, plastic slot that was perfectly shaped for the photo, in which Aurora slipped the picture in. It was a neat fit, a touching finish to the book of fortunes.

But, as I brushed the page to rub off a tiny smudge, I felt my paw touch something else. Removing it, I saw that there was a tiny, rectangular slot below the picture.

"Mandite?" I asked. The warrior, who had been staring at the darkening sky, looked to me with mild interest.

"Hmm?" he answered. I was about to open my mouth and ask why there was an empty slot on the back page when I felt a strong wind behind me, spraying up particulates of sand. I squinted, turning around to see what it was, placing an arm around Aurora. Mandite walked up to stand at my side, as we watched a serpentine figure fly towards us with astonishing speed, six smoky streamers billowing from it. It wasn't before long when Giratina swooped over our heads, looped over in a complete circle, his armor plates rattling from the velocity of his flight. The Legendary flew low over the sand, and twirled so that his head arched magnificently over the rest of his body, hovering with the six streamers raised high and broad, the smoky substance whipping in the slight breeze. From beneath the shadows of his golden crown, his red eyes glowed brightly, so that they were nearly white.

It was a regal sight, but Mandite was unimpressed. He crossed his arms.

"What took you so long?" he demanded from the deity. Giratina chuckled, his growls rumbling like an approaching thunderstorm.

"There is no need to rush Death," he answered casually so that even his rumbles seemed easy going, "Besides, I thought you would like some time to say your last good byes." That was really nice of him to do that, I thought. However, Mandite exhaled sharply in amusement.

"I doubt it," he retorted. Giratina laughed, his "huh-huh"'s rolled out from deep within his belly.

"You are too clever, boy," Giratina scolded, musing with another laugh, "I am usually not awake until another hour – I'm nocturnal, you know." From behind his great body, the sun had set low and red on the horizon, spewing gold all over the sea. The three of us stood, the wind blowing our furs and cape, staring across from each other – Aurora was by my side and Mandite facing me in front. Dressed formally in his dignified armor and cape, he looked so much older than the boy I knew. After so many months of traveling together and braving through dangers, it was time to say good bye.

The final good bye.

Giratina considerately remained silent, as we prepared to make our last speeches before we went our separate ways.

"So, I guess this is it," the young warrior said. I gave him a firm nod, and Aurora reached for my paw. I took it gently, comforting her. The two had been good friends – we all had. We stared at each other, speechless, not believing that this was actually happening.

"Well," Mandite sighed, coughing, "let's make this quick. You guys were great friends, huzzah! Now fire away." I laughed, the sound a short bark; as I thought, he would be like his uncle Talons – the two hated long good byes. He watched us with an unwavering gaze, as Aurora let go of my paw, and stood before Mandite. She breathed deeply, summoning strength to resist breaking down.

"Mandite," she began, shakily, "I just -" and she burst into tears, kneeling down so she could wrap her arms around the bewildered friend. Mandite shifted uncomfortably.

"Er..." Mandite patted her arm, "There, there – you're going to be fine. Just save your hugs for Lucario, all right?" His yellow eyes flicked upward to meet mine. I smiled, knowing that he was also getting emotional, but didn't want to show it.

"Thank you, Mandite," Aurora sobbed, "for everything... For the cookies, for your doctoring, your protection, your time, friendship, courage... Everything." Mandite's lids tilted sadly over his eyes as he looked sideways at Aurora.

"It was nothing... Honestly," he said modestly, reminding me very much of Talons, "but don't cry for me, all right? Your fur will be wet and moldy if you do, and that will get really disgusting." Aurora smiled, tears clinging to her eyelashes. As said many times over, Mandite had a way of cheering people up.

"Oh, and don't forget to take this," Mandite pulled a scroll of old parchment paper from his backpack, handing it to her. After Aurora agreed she would come back from the little town with us, he had offered to hold the prophecy for her. Now, it was time for Mandite to give it back. He watched the female lucario stand up, wiping away the excess moisture from her eyes with her free paw, holding the scroll with the other, before he turned to me, his eyes shining bright blue.

"So," Mandite said, "are you going to hug me, too?" I blinked. I would miss Mandite very, very much, but it would feel rather awkward to hug him. But would it feel awkward for him, being a child? I shrugged.

"If you want one," I said. The warrior tapped the side of his mask.

"Psh – men from my world don't hug," he said, flicking his hand dismissively, before adding mischievously, "they _kiss."_

"WHAT?!" I was so shocked and bewildered that I lost my balance and fell onto the sand. Mandite burst out into laughter, the joyful noise soon followed by Aurora's giggles, and Giratina's roll of thunderous, "huh-huh"'s. I glared at the culprit, now knowing Mandite was only kidding, brushing the sand from my lap. Mandite eyes were glowing bright pink, tickled by his little joke.

"You should have seen your face!" He gasped for breath as he laughed hard, "They went – **HA!!!"** I began to smile – it was typical for Mandite to pull of something humorous at a tender moment, no matter how demeaning the joke was. Even though I didn't like how he spoiled special moments at that particular moment, I mused over it when I looked back, chuckling. Mandite sighed, his laughter finally dying down.

"I'm only kidding, though," he said, holding out his hand, "C'mon over here, knucklehead – let's shake hands." Gratefully, I stood on my feet, and walked over to my little friend, bending down to shake his gloved hand. We looked into each other's eyes, and for once, he didn't seem to stare right through me.

"It's been great knowin' ya," Mandite said, his eyes turning blue, shaking my paw vigorously. I nodded, smiling back.

"You too," I replied, "Thank you, Mandite – for everything." And I honestly meant it. Knowing that his departure was drawing near, I felt my legs grow weak from the overwhelming emotion that flooded my senses. Mandite, with his keen vision, noticed this, and gave my paw a strong pat.

"Be a man," he encouraged, "now stand straight and tall!" I smiled back at my short friend.

"But if I do," I retorted, "I may never you again." Giratina and Aurora began to laugh – Mandite, however didn't get it.

"What do you – HEY!" he cried, realizing as I broke into laughter, "Don't pick on the shorties, okay?!" I shook my head, still chuckling.

"You deserved it," I said, and Mandite's eyes glowed a soft, pink color.

"I did not," the young warrior snapped, "but I'll have to admit that was pretty good." I nodded, and raised myself to my feet. Giratina started to move again, signaling that it was time. The great deity threw back his head before jerking it forth, a purple ball of energy whizzing from his open jaws. The ball stopped in mid air before Mandite, and slowly flattened itself, light and shadow swirling our from the center. It became larger and larger until it was as wide as Giratina's girth, and the whirlpool on the flat surface had became still. Time for Mandite to go home.

"I have some business to do," Giratina announced with a growl, flying towards the temporary portal, "See you in hell." And with that, he passed through the disk, disappearing into the purple darkness. Mandite stood before the portal, it's dark, violet surface rippling like liquid chrome. That thin veil separated his world from mine, light as air, cool as water. Who had ever known that our worlds were so close, and yet so far away? The young warrior skimmed his hand against the surface, a nostalgic look in his eyes. I could tell he was homesick, but a little reluctant to go. He turned around slightly, his mask gleaming even in the evening light, just enough so that he could see us. Then, with a white gloved, stubby hand, he tilted his mask just so that he peered at us with his jade green eyes, reminding us of that he was still the child we got to know, no matter how old he will get. His mouth curved into a wry smile, and he waved a hand.

"Into the night I go," he announced, bringing back memories of his lullaby, "Meet you guys in the morning." He let his mask slip down his face, adjusting it to his liking, turning to face the portal again. I sighed – there he goes...

Suddenly, he turned around again, his had taking something from his backpack.

"Hey!" he called, "I almost forgot!" He tossed something to me, which I caught, the crinkling of a plastic package startling me. I opened my paws, revealing a broken fortune cookie, a little slip of white paper strung between the two golden pieces. I looked back up at Mandite, feeling Aurora wrap her arms around me, her tears wet against my cheek.

"I saved the last one for you guys," he called, "have fun – and don't get into trouble." He backed into the portal, a thin, translucent violet sheet slowly wrapping him as he melted into the dark. From behind his mask, his eyes were burning bright and blue, as he raised his arm, executing a sharp salute. We waved back.

And, as the portal shrank around him, the young warrior and friend, Mandite, was gone.

It was only five seconds when I already felt empty from his absence. I pulled Aurora into an embrace, laying my cheek on top of her head, wondering. Aurora lifted her head, and pressed her muzzle against it, giving it a small kiss. Teardrops sparkled on her eyelashes, as if the fire and water within her resplendent eyes combined to make diamonds.

"What are we going to do, now?" she asked, her voice soft in my ear. I smiled, unsure of that question myself. For the moment, all is peaceful, and the journey is done.

"I don't know," I admitted, pulling away from her warm body to stand by the shore, looking into the evening sky, still holding the fortune cookie. From behind me, Aurora walked up to stand by my side.

"We should probably eat that cookie, first," she suggested with a small smile. I nodded, pulling apart the plastic package that had kept this last cookie safe. Aurora, who held the book and the prophecy tucked under her arm, peered at the little slip of paper that slide out from the two pieces. She took it from me, daintily extracting it from the two halves of cookie, and opened the leather-covered book to the last page. A smiling Mandite stared up at us, causing a wave of emotions to wash over. Carefully, I watched Aurora slide the fortune into the small slot below the picture. Only when she removed her paw, I finally got to see what the message was.

_Until next time_

The book was complete, the final page bringing an unexpected amount of tears in my eyes. Blinking them back, I handed one of the halves of the cookie to Aurora, and together we looked over the page, savoring the sweet treat slowly.

But like adventures, they don't last forever. It wasn't long when my tongue brushed the last bit of crumbs from my paw, as I stared up into the sky. There was a remaining, golden glow just above the ocean. The first, pinpricks of stars began to appear.

"There's Dhenalix," Aurora exclaimed, pointing towards a constellation. With my eyes, I connected the spots of light, revealing an absol running free in the wind.

"There he is," I agreed, nodding slowly. I continued to gaze at the starry figure of Dhenalix, as more pokemon joined him, twinkling in the sky. The ocean crashed upon the shore in a slow, calming beat, and Aurora entwined her arm with mine, giving it a squeeze.

"What are you thinking of, Lucario?" she asked. I looked down on her, into her lovely, softening eyes, and smiled.

"I'm just thinking," I replied, bending slightly to kiss the top of her head. Aurora touched her nose against my chin.

"What kind of things?" she asked gently. I didn't feel like talking much, but I knew better than to leave her guessing. I gazed back up into the sky.

"Oh," I said, sighing, "I'm just thinking about what we did with a young boy – like trek over many mountains, raced through a forest primeval, eat cookies, look up at the night sky like this one," I raised an arm and waved it across the yonder.

"I'm just thinking about the little burrow where a leafeon lives with her child, in a haven watched over by a particular absol." I added, looking back at Dhenalix's constellation.

"And I'm also thinking about a beautiful female lucario – a best friend possessing Sinnoh's most breath-taking eyes," I finalized, smiling at my love, "and how lucky I am that I am with her right now." Aurora looked back up at me with a twinkling gaze, a half smile curved on her serene face. I was lucky beyond compare, even though I had suffered many pains along the way, to actually have the love of my life stand beside me. We had been through so much together, Aurora and I. Tonight, I thought about that luck, as we sat down on the shore, listening to the sea serenade to us with its soft, time-enduring chant.

I thought about Dhenalix, the absol who had proved to me that the Disaster pokemon could just be the same as I. He was an optimistic soul, contradicting what has been said about his species – and he was a devoted messenger and father. I wonder how Lily and their child was doing, left to fend for themselves by him. But they are never alone in that safe haven, their burrow lit by gentle morning rays that shone through a shady canopy of young trees. Every day, at twilight, as dusk was on the verge of slipping into night, they could see him, smiling down in the stars.

And I thought about Mandite. I remembered how he had crashed through the trees into the bushes, where I found him. From that day forward, life wasn't the same – we had a kid to escort to a place we have never even dreamed about; a new world. Not only that, we had gone to the most exciting and remote places on the face of Sinnoh, meeting many good pokemon, common and Legendary alike, along the way. With him, we endured the hardships through his humorous quips and comments. He was ordinary kid, and it was beyond great luck that we had crossed paths. Or how he would say it – über luck.

All these memories and thoughts, from the momentous to the obscure, I will remember them. And, of course, I will remember the pokemon and warrior we had shared them with – and I will cherish the very fact that I had sat beside them, conversed with them. They're impressions left upon me will stay with me, just like Aurora and my love for her – from here to eternity.

Forever more.

* * *

**I want to thank every single one of my readers who have read, and will read this story, no matter how demeaning it is. I really appreciate that you have taken the time out of your life to listen to me, making this story bloom into a reality. It has been a dream for me to actually turn this into a story that other people would read from all over the world - thanks to you guys, I have accomplished such task.**

**And I want to thank a group of people in particular. SlasherMask, PrimeHunter01, Delta5-1, Lupyne, Opengunner, and of course King Sparky for all the support they have given me through reviews as I wrote this story. I am grateful for such upholding, so thank you guys! ^^**

**And so here ends my appended result. Thanks again - and keep your eyes peeled for some new stories!  
**

**~ KOOZ  
**


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